Maybe
by ostrichface
Summary: Link and Ilia's life. LinkxIlia. Please R&R! This is my first fanfic ever, so please tell me if you like it or not! Takes place before and after Twilight Princess. I do not own, nor ever will own, the rights to Legend of Zelda. [Discontinued]
1. Chapter 1: Ordon

The cry of a baby could be heard in a little village. Esmon, a tiny village in the northern mountains.

Saira had just given birth to a baby boy. She smiled weakly as she held the small bundle in her arms. Labor had been harder than most. The child's father, Rowan, stood nearby, watching over mother and child.

"Link…" Saira whispered quietly. She smiled weakly once more and closed her eyes. Link began to wail once again. Rowan picked him up and kissed his dear wife. She was dead.

* * *

Earlier that day, there was a much happier occasion in a village about as large as Esmon. A wedding. Bo was married. To Arietta, the most beautiful woman he had ever met. He'd never been happier, and he didn't think he could possibly be. He was wrong, of course. A year later, Arietta gave birth to a baby girl, whom they named Ilia. Ilia, who loved to laugh and play. Ilia, whose laughter sounded as bells and brought joy to their hearts. Ilia, their sweet and precious daughter! She had a natural talent with animals, especially with horses. She also had a temper, obviously from her mother. She was the perfect daughter for them.

Ilia.

* * *

"Brother, please!"

Rowan sighed. "Please. You know I can't care for him anymore."

"You know well enough that I can't, either."

The conversation continued. Link strained to hear what his father and uncle were saying. It had something to do with him, he was sure. _Why won't Daddy tell me?_ He thought. _Aren't I old enough? I_ am _six_ , _now._

"Malden, please!"

He sighed. "Fine. I will care for Link. But he will live with me."

"Thank you, brother."

Link gasped. He was moving in with Uncle!? Tears filled his eyes as he thought about leaving his father. _No. It's not fair. It's not fair at all!_

Maybe Daddy thought that he was annoying. Maybe he wanted more to eat instead of dividing it with Link. Maybe-

Maybe his father didn't love him.

The thought hurt more than anything.

More than when he broke his arm.

More than when he hurt his ankle so badly it swelled up like a balloon.

More than when he got bit by a fox and the bite got infected.

More than anything. Anything at all.

But maybe-

Maybe it was true.

It wasn't. But Link didn't know that.

To him it was.

* * *

"Link, do you want to go to Uncle Malden's house today?"

Link shook his head. "No. I don't want to." Rowan looked at him, confused."I thought you liked going."

"I don't want to."

"But Uncle Malden is coming to pick you up today."

"No!" As soon as Link said this, there was a knock on the door. Rowan sighed. "Link, he's already here."

"No!" Link screamed and ran to his room. "Link!" Rowan called. He sighed and let his brother in.

"He's upset?"

"I've never seen him like this before."

"No kidding. Neither have I."

* * *

After many kicks and screams, the two brothers finally managed to get Link outside. He obviously wasn't happy, though. As Malden dragged him to the wagon, Link fought and kicked as he had earlier. He almost got away, too.

"Daddy!"

Rowan had to fight to hold back his tears.

"Daddy, I don't wanna go!"

"Please, Link! You must!"  
"But-"

"You'll be better off with your Uncle. I can't care for you anymore." His voice was was hoarse.

As they drove he wagon away, he could still hear his precious son in the distance.

"Daddy!"

* * *

"Link, wake up. We're here. Ordon."

He groaned slightly as he woke. His throat was sore from shouting, and his cheeks stung slightly from crying so much.

"Come on, Link. Aren't you a big boy now?" Link groaned again and rolled over.

"Huh, I guess you're still just a baby, then?" At this comment, he jumped up.

"I am not a baby!" he said, annoyed.

"Ilia, look. It's a boy, and he looks like he's your age," a voice behind him said. Link turned around. There was a woman standing there, smiling. Who was Ilia? After further inspection, he saw a little girl standing behind the woman, almost completely covered by her mother's skirt.

"Come on, Ilia. He looks nice." The woman pushed to girl out from behind her. Ilia took one look at Link. Her eyes went wide and she scrambled back behind her mother. She sighed. "Ilia..." she turned to face Link. "I'm sorry about my daughter. She can be a little shy around boys, but once you get to know her, she can be very playful. My name is Arietta, but you can call me Ari." She held out her hand. Link took it and shook it lightly.

Maybe Ordon wasn't so bad...


	2. Chapter 2: Ilia

Link jumped down from the cart and walked behind Mrs. Ari. Ilia gasped and ran around to her mother's opposite side. "Ilia, I'm sure he just wants to talk to you. Right?" Link nodded. Ilia slowly came out from her hiding place.

"H-Hi."

"Hi!"

She started to whimper quietly. Link looked at her curiously. "Do I scare you?" Ilia nodded and looked back at him. After a while, she pointed to his ears. "Your ears are funny."

" _Your_ ears are funny."

Ilia giggled. "No, _yours_ are!" Link smiled and held out his hand. "My name is Link."

"My name is Ilia."

Link smiled and nodded. She pointed to his ears. "Why do you have earrings? Only girls do that."

"My daddy said that the oldest boys in our family has earrings, which is why my daddy and I have them." As he thought of his father, he instantly became sad.

"I have a daddy, too!"

"Really?"

"Mm-hm. He's fat."

Ari looked at her daughter. "Ilia..."

"What?Daddy _is_ fat."

"Did I hear my daughter say I'm fat?" a deep voice said from behind Link. He jumped. Ilia giggled. "You are fat, daddy!" Link turned around. Ilia's father _was_ fat. But at the same time, he brought a happy atmosphere with him that lightened Link's mood.

"Well, hello! Who's this?"

Ilia giggled again (she did that a lot, apparently). "Daddy, this is Link, my new friend!" Link looked at her in surprise. Her...friend? He'd never had a friend before. He was the only kid younger than 15 in Esmon. Ilia turned to him. "Where does your daddy live?"

Malden came up to them. "Link's daddy lives in Esmon, a village in the northern mountains."

Ilia nodded. She turned to Link. "Do you wanna play now?"

"OK."

* * *

Ari and Bo invited Link and Malden over for dinner. After they had eaten, Link and Ilia sat on the porch and played. After a while, Link started to stare at a man standing on the dock swinging a sword.. Ilia came up to him. "That's Mr. Rusl. He has a sword." Link nodded. "Can he teach me how?"

She nodded. "Mr. Rusl!" she shouted. "Link wants to learn how to use a sword!" Link opened his mouth to protest, but then realized that Ilia had done him a huge favor. The man walked over to them. "So, Ilia, already found a boyfriend, huh? I thought you were four."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Ilia shouted, annoyed. Rusl smiled. "Then who is he?"

"He's my friend."

"Oh?" Rusl's gaze drifted over to Link. "So, I take it that you're this Link Ilia told Uli about?"

"Who's Uli?" Link asked. Rusl laughed. "Uli is Rusl's wife. They got married last summer." Ilia answered. "That's right, Ilia." He turned back to Link. "Uli, my wife, is pregnant. She's gonna have a baby soon."

"What's pregnant?" Rusl looked at Link in suprise. "That's when a girl has a baby inside of her. That's how your mummy had you."

"I don't know my mommy."

"How come?"

"She died when I was a baby."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Link looked at him oddly."Why are you apogizing?"

"Apologizing?"

"Yeah. That."

"Because."

Link was smart enough not to answer. He turned to Ilia. "Are you pregnant?" she slapped him and Rusl laughed. "No, I'm not!" Ilia shouted in Link's face. He turned to Rusl.

"Can you teach me how to use a sword?"

"If it's alright with your dad."

"My dad is in Esmon."

"Then how did you get here?"

"Uncle Malden brought me."

"Then he has to say yes first. Then I can."

"Mr. Rusl's teaching me how to shoot a bow!" Ilia chimed. He laughed again. "Not yet, Missy. You're not strong enough."

Ilia ran inside. Link could hear her talking to his uncle.

"Mr. Malden, can Rusl teach Link how to use a sword?" Malden laughed. "Alright, so long as Link is careful."

* * *

After Rusl had given Link his first lesson, he took Link and Ilia up to the Ranch (Link and Ilia were very close, now). Link wandered into the barn and saw a bay mare standing next to a palomino foal. The foal looked weak. Rusl came in. "That's Luna, with her foal Epona. Epona's been sick recently. Tell you what," Rusl said. "If you and Ilia take care of Epona for me, then I will give you two lessons. Sound good?"

Link nodded.

"Don't worry, Ilia knows what to do. If you need help, then just ask me. OK?"

Link smiled and nodded again. He put his hand out and petted the little horse.

Epona whinnied weakly and nuzzled his hand. _I like this horse_ , Link thought.


	3. Chapter 3: War

Link and Ilia cared for Epona, and, as promised, Rusl gave them lessons. Two months later, Uli went into labor in the middle of a lesson. The lesson was cut short, and a few hours later, Uli had a baby boy. The third child in the village, not including Link and Ilia. The other two children were Talo and Beth, son and daughter of Pergie and Sera, respectively. Link was absolutely fascinated by the tiny pink bundle Rusl and Uli called Colin. At that moment, something in him started to grow. He wouldn't know until he was older.

Maybe he wanted to be happy, like Rusl and Uli.

Maybe he wanted a sibling, like his daddy and Uncle Malden.

Maybe he wanted to make other people happy like Colin seemingly did.

He didn't know.

Epona was getting better. She was now energetic like most foals her age. Ilia soon found out that the little horse preferred Link over her. Maybe because he was quieter. Colin was a very quiet baby, unlike Talo, who was a few months older.

Everything was fine until Link was eight. That was when the war came to Ordon.

The War started when Link was four, near Lake Hylia, a day's ride from Ordon. The Bulblins that lived in the great Gerudo desert became increasingly aggressive and started to raid (more like attack) nearby villages, thus disrupting the trade that Hyrule had with them (sheep, goats, cattle, etc.) After a while, Hyrule became fed up with the raids and sent a small force to get rid of them. The Bulblins saw this as a declaration of war and laid siege on a nearby fort. They won, and have been getting stronger ever since. Now Hyrule was losing. They needed more soldiers.

* * *

Malden was numbered among the recruits. He wasn't reluctant to leave, which surprised Link.

"Uncle..."

"Yes?"

"Aren't you scared? I mean, you could die."

Malden sighed. "Link..."

"Do you remember when your father sent you here?" Link was confused. What did that have to do with this?

"Y-Yes."  
"Well…your father sent you because he loves you. He knew that you couldn't live a happy life in Esmon. I'm doing this because I love you, too. I care for you as if you are my son, and I want to protect you, along with Ilia, Talo, Beth, Malo, and Colin."

Link nodded "You still didn't answer my question yet. Are you scared?"

"...Everyone is. What would you do if I died?" he answered.

"I dunno."

"That's what I'm scared of. But I'll fight anyways, to protect you and everyone else."

Link nodded again. "You know what, Uncle?"

"What, Cucco Butt?"

Link laughed. "No, that's not it."

"So what is it you what to tell me?"

"I like you."

* * *

Link watched as the men in the village mounted their horses the next day. They needed to arrive at Castle Town by nightfall. Rusl, Jaggle, Nero (Ilia's uncle; he was gone most of the time, caring for a close friend of his) and Hanch. And Malden. Arietta was going, too. She was a nurse, and there weren't many of them in Hyrule. Ilia ran up to her, crying.

"Mommy!"

"Hush, my girl. I'll be alright."

"Don't go!"

She bent down and kissed her daughter's cheek. "Ilia."

"Yes, Mommy?"

"I love you."

"Ilia, could you be a big girl for me?" She stopped crying and hugged her mother. After a while she spoke. "I'll take care of daddy for you, Mommy. I'll make him eat lots of veggibles."

Ari laughed softly. "OK, Ilia. Take care of Daddy like you said, big girl. And" she added "Take care of Link. He'll be all alone." she whispered into her ear. Ilia giggled. "OK, Mommy." Ari hugged her daughter once more and rode off with the others. Ilia stood watching them leave, and, unbeknownst to her, a tear slipped down her cheek.

* * *

A year later, they returned. Link jumped up and shook his friend awake. "Ilia, they're back! They're back!" he cried happily. She woke immediately.

"Look." Link said, pointing in the direction of the spring.

There was Rusl. Behind him was Jaggle and Hanch, following closely. They were alone. Link and Ilia watched in disbelief. Where was Malden? And Ari and Nero? Rusl dismounted Luna. "Link…Ilia..." He paused.

"I-I'm sorry."

Ilia's eyes widened.

"Link, your uncle is dead. The same for your mother, Ilia. And Nero."

Tears streamed down her face. She clenched her teeth to keep from shouting at him, at anyone, any _thing_. She ran down the path to the main body of the village, sobbing. Link just stood there, not knowing what to do. He'd never felt pain like this before.

It was worse than when he broke his arm.

More than when he hurt his ankle so badly it swelled up like a balloon.

More than when he got bit by a fox and the bite got infected.

More than when his father sent him off to Ordon to live with his uncle for no apparent reason

More than anything, really.

He was still standing there when the men left.

Why uncle?

Why Mom?

Why death at all?

Why does it hurt?

Is this how Dad felt when Mom died?

So many questions. They made his head hurt.

"Link..."

He turned around. Ilia was standing there. It was evening, now. How long had he been standing there?

"Wanna go to the spring?"

Something in her had snapped. The joy that constantly seeped into her voice was gone. She seemed monotonous, almost. Her eyes weren't forest green like they used to be, either. They were...different. Sad. Yes, Sad.


	4. Chapter 4: Epona

**Sorry, I know that it's been a while since I last uploaded. *sigh*. This is my excuse: We had to drive all the way to Cheney for the Science Olympiad State Tournament.**

 **Anyways, I hope you like this chapter (It's kinda short, I know), and yeah. That's pretty much it.**

* * *

Link nodded. He walked down the path with Ilia. She was quiet. She was only quiet when something was bothering her. Of course something was bothering her. She just found out that her mother was dead. She was only eight. _Four years…_ Link thought. _It's been four years._ When they got to the spring, Ilia sat down on the sand. She pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them. Link sat down next to her.

"Ilia..."

She buried her face into her knees. He took her arm gently.

"Ilia, don't cry. Please don't cry."

She was whimpering softly. "Why not? Mom's dead."

"Be happy."

She turned around and slapped him hard. "How? How can I be _happy_? I just told you, she's _dead_ and she's not coming back!" she shouted in his face. He flinched.

"How can I be happy?" she said quietly. Link paused.

"Your mom is with her mom and dad. You know, your grandma and grandpa. She's with your Uncle Nero, and she can see her family that died. She wants you to be happy. Remember? She used to tell you all the time."

" _Living a life that's sad isn't worth living. So don't be sad! Be happy and grateful, and things will work out._ Right?"

"Yeah."

Ilia leaned her head against Link's shoulder. "Mommy told me to take care of you because your uncle wasn't gonna be there for you. But you're taking care of me. I'm s'pposed to do that."

"OK."

Ilia smiled. She laid down next to him and fell asleep.

* * *

Ilia woke in her bed. She smiled, remembering what her friend had told her. "Ilia..."

She looked towards the doorway. Her father. "Ilia, are you feeling all right?"

She nodded.

"How come?"

"Link told me something yesterday. Remember what mommy used to say?' _Living a life that's sad isn't worth living. So don't be sad! Be happy and grateful, and things will work out._ _'_ Daddy, be happy and grateful because Mommy said so."

Bo smiled. The boy had wisdom beyond his years. "Alright. I'll be happy." He stood up to leave the room. "And Daddy?"

"Yes, Ilia?"

"Link also said that mommy is happy because she's with her mommy and daddy and Uncle Nero and everyone else."

Bo smiled. "OK, Ilia."

* * *

Link stood, his wooden sword in his hand, panting.

"You already given up, Link?"

"I'm not done yet."

"Then show me how much you've grown. Come on!" Rusl said.

Link ran up and started to attack, but as soon as Rusl put his guard up, Link jumped behind him and hit his back. Rusl looked at him is suprise. "Well, m'boy. You've gotten stronger, certainly. And faster. C'mon, let's go inside. We're both tired." Link nodded and followed him in.

"Say, Link. What'd you do to Ilia to cheer her up like that? The Magic of a Nine-Year-Old?"

Link laughed. "You know I don't do that."

"Then what did you do?"

Link paused. "I told her that her mom was with the rest of her family and wanted Ilia to be happy. I guess it worked."

Colin ran outside. "Horthey, horthey! I ride horthey!" That was his newest phrase. Rusl smiled. "Link, would you take Colin to the ranch for me? You heard what he said, after all. He'll kill you if you don't." Link smiled. "Ok, Colin. C'mon."

"Oh, and Link?"

"Yeah?"

"You and Ilia have been doing such a good job caring for that horse, You two might as well keep her."

Link looked at Rusl wide-eyed. "Really?"

"Yup."

* * *

Ilia was in the barn when he and Colin got there. She turned around. "Oh, hi Link."

"Hi."

She turned and looked at Colin, who was so excited he was shaking. She smiled. "Hi, Colin. Do you wanna ride Epona?"

"Yeth!"

Link and Ilia laughed. "C'mon, then. Let's get her ready."

Link came up to her and whispered into her ear "By the way, Rusl said we could keep her."

"Epona!?"

"Yeah."

Ilia squealed and hugged Link as hard as she could. She let go of him when Colin tugged on the hem of her dress. "Horsey, Horsey."

She laughed, then took his hand and led him to Epona. Link just stood there, surprised at her reaction. Or maybe because she had hugged him? Or maybe both. He couldn't say.


	5. Chapter 5: Back to Esmon

"Ilia..."

She turned and smiled when she saw who it was.

"Hi, Link!"

"Umm..."

She cocked her head to the side. "Somethin' wrong?"

"I-"

"What?"

"I-I'm leaving."

She stared at him in shock. "What? No, you can't leave. You can't. You can't. You can't."

"Ilia..."

"No!" She was crying. "No, No No!"

"Rusl said that I'm too young to live alone."

"But can't you stay with someone here?"

"Jaggle and Pergie have Talo, Rusl and Uli have Colin, and Sera and Hanch have Beth. They're all toddlers, and their parents are busy enough."

She stared at him once again. "But..."

"Where will you go?"

"Back to my dad. The famine is over, now."

"Are you coming back to see me again?"

Link paused. She had just stopped crying, and he didn't want her to start crying again because of his answer. He hated it when she cried. So he gave a different one.

"Yes."

Maybe that answer was true. But he didn't know that.

Ilia hugged him gently. "I'm gonna miss you."

She let go. "You better come back, ya hear me? You better!"

Link nodded sadly. "O-Okay."

* * *

The next day, Rusl loaded the supplies for the trip onto the wagon. It had been a year since the war ended. Link was ten, now. He watched Rusl as he strapped Luna to the wagon. To a stranger, his face was impassive, as if he didn't care that he was leaving. But Ilia knew better. Behind the mask that Link was wearing were feelings of anger, sadness, and loneliness. She could see it in his eyes, He had done the same when his uncle had died.

"Link? You ready?"

Rusl had finished packing. Link nodded slowly.

"Alright."

Before Link climbed into the cart, Ilia ran up and hugged him " Ya better come back!You promised!" Link smiled and nodded. He blushed slightly, hoping no one noticed.

"I'll come back." he said. Ilia smiled sadly and let go.

"B-Bye."

Colin ran up to Link, crying. Link bent down and hugged him.

"Bye, Colin. I'll miss you."

Talo and Beth, realizing what was going on, started crying with Colin. Link hugged them both and bid farewell to the rest of the villagers before climbing back into the cart. Ilia watched as the cart disapeared into the trees. She was the last to leave.

* * *

"So, Link. How do you feel about leaving?"

"Well..."

Link looked out at the horizon. It was streaked with orange light, signifying twilight.

"I guess I have mixed feelings about it. Like,"

"Like when you have a friend who is really smart but kinda weird. Right?"

Link laughed. "Right. I'm really excited that I get to see my Dad again, but to do that, I have to leave Ordon."

"And Ilia?"

Link turned red. "W-What about her?"

"You like her, don't you?"

"N-No I don't."

Rusl smiled and punched him gently in the arm. "She's nine. You're ten. She's a girl. You're a boy. And-"

"Rusl!" Link said, embarrassed.

"And she's cute."

Link turned away.

"Not just that, I saw you blush when she hugged you this morning."

Link sighed. He knew better than to talk back at Rusl. It would only make the situation worse. Rusl smiled, knowing he was victorious.

* * *

They arrived at Esmon the next day. Rowan was waiting, and there was a woman standing next to him.

"Dad!"

Link ran up and hugged him. "Link! It's good to see you again! My goodness, you've grown!"

Link nodded happily. "So, dad. When I was in Ordon, Rusl was teaching me how to use a sword!"

"Really?"

"Mm-hm!"

Rowan turned to Rusl. "Is that true?"

He nodded. "Yep. He has a natural talent."

Rowan held out his hand. "I'm sorry. My name's Rowan, and-"

"Dad, who's that?" Link said, looking at the lady next to his father.

Rowan looked down at his son. "That, my boy, is Maeri. She's your Future Stepmom."

"What's a Stepmom?" Link asked.

Rowan sighed. "So… do you know how your real mother died?"

"You said she died when I was born."

"Yes...well...sometimes the daddy gets lonely, so he gets married again. Maeri is kinda like your replacement mom."

"Oh. Ok."

* * *

Link stayed with his father for five years. Rusl had to leave after a week, and by the end of that week, he and Rowan were talking and laughing like brothers. Maeri and Link grew to be very close, and when Link was thirteen, she had a baby girl. Maeri named her Ava. Link was a good older brother, and he was happy. But the entire time he was at Esmon, he felt slightly lonely. Maybe he missed Ordon. Or maybe Rusl. Maybe he wanted to see how much Colin, Malo, Talo and Beth had grown while he was in this village in the mountains caring for his half-sister. Or maybe he wanted to see…Ilia?


	6. Chapter 6: Five years later

Ilia sighed. She looked different from the nine-year-old girl she that bade Link farewell. She wasn't flat-chested, anymore, for starters. She cut her hair short; it had been bothering her. No more braids. She closed her eyes and tried to find sleep. She didn't find it. Ilia was thirteen, almost fourteen, and terribly lonely. She had been since Link moved back with his father. _He'll be fifteen, soon,_ she thought. _I wonder what his stepmum's like. And baby Ava._ She sighed again. _He sure sounds happy. I doubt he even remembers his promise,_ she thought bitterly. _Oh, what am I thinking? I should be happy for him. After all, he has his dad back._

If only it were that easy.

She still heard from him, occasionally. He wrote to her about, well, anything, really. From what she knew, he had grown fond of his stepmother, Maeri. Ilia was slightly jealous of him, because he had never known his mother and hadn't had time to bond with her. Now he had a new one. With Ilia it wouldn't be so easy. She sighed and tried to find sleep once again. This time it came.

* * *

"Link, could you help me with this?"

Rowan's voice echoed slightly as he called to his son, about a hundred feet away.

"Sure. What is it?"

Rowan pointed to the stack of hay that needed to be sheltered before nightfall. He had done some himself, but then decided that he wouldn't be able to finish before then. The air was heavy, signifying rain.

Link nodded and grabbed a pitchfork. It was early autumn, and the air was growing colder. They had a good harvest that year. Rowan too picked up his pitchfork and helped his son. After they had finished, he sat down on the cool grass, watching him. He smiled as Link played with the cat that followed him around everywhere. Animals tended to do that when Link was around. After a while, the cat grew bored and left him to hunt some mice. Rowan called Link over, and he came and sat next to his father. The sky was pink. Link and his father just sat there, watching the sunset. When the sun had nearly descended below the horizon, Link spoke.

"Dad..."

"Yes?"

"What-" He paused. "What was mom like?"

Rowan looked at him, surprised. His face softened after he realized what the boy was asking. He turned his face towards the sky. "Well…"

"She was a very kind woman. She loved children and had a way with them. In fact, when your mother and I were first married, she begged me for a child, despite the fact that she was weak. Physically weak. She had muscular dystrophies, as the physician called it. She was very weak and had trouble eating. But she kept on asking, so she became pregnant with you."

"But what was she _like_?As in, what was her personality?"

"Forgive me. I got sidetracked. Well, she loved animals. And children. She was smart and quiet. She rarely got angry, or, at least I don't think so. It was hard to tell. She was born with a quiet voice, so she was never loud. Which was probably the reason animals liked her the way they like you." He grew quiet. "It broke my heart when she died."

Link looked at his father, surprised. He rarely ever showed his feelings, other than a quick smile here and there, let alone say them aloud. Link was about to ask another question, but before he could, Maeri called them in. Before she could finish her sentence, Ava ran out of the house and tumbled down the slope to her father and brother. Link caught her and Rowan chuckled quietly. Ava was now bouncing in her brother's arms

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" she said happily. That was the only word she knew, other that 'moo' and 'meow'. Link laughed. "C'mon, Ava. Let's go eat."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no..." she chimed as her brother took her inside, father following closely behind. Rowan smiled. What a blessing he had, to have two children. Link and Ava certainly cheered his heart. Maeri, Ava, and Link all helped ease the pain he still felt over Saira.

What a blessing. What a blessing indeed.

* * *

"Link? _Link..._ "

Maeri waved her hand in front of his face. Link looked up at her.

"Did you hear me?" she said

"Hear...what?"

Maeri sighed. "Link. Your father and I were talking about you birthday. In two weeks.

"Two…weeks?"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Ava shouted happily. Maeri placed her hand on the child and she quietly started to play with her food again, occasionally stuffing some into her mouth. "What do you want to do? After all, you _are_ turning 15. or did you forget that, too?"

"Umm...yes?"

Maeri sighed and turned to her husband. "Why is he so forgetful? I've never met someone who forgets their own birthday. And yet he manages to remember everyone else's." Rowan shrugged and turned to Link.

"Maeri and I were wondering what you wanted to do for your birthday. Is there something you want to do, or do you want to go somewhere, or..."His voice trailed off, waiting for Link's answer.

"You don't have to tell me now." Link nodded. He already knew what he wanted, but he wasn't sure that he would let him. He pushed his chair back and stood. "Alright. Thanks for dinner." He took his plate away and went up to his room. After Ava was born, Rowan let him take over the attic. Ava got his old room, which wasn't that big. It was connected with Rowan and Maeri's room. He lay on his bed, thinking. _Will they say yes?_ He sighed mentally.

 _Ilia...I miss you._

* * *

Ilia stood next to her father's bed, mending one of his shirts. It was dark outside, and her father was asleep. She couldn't sleep again. That was why she was up mending his shirt. Bo stirred and woke. He woke to his daughter, sitting in her mother's chair, looking like her mother and mending his shirt like Arietta used to do. He smiled softly. "Ilia, why aren't you in bed?" He already knew her reason. "I can't sleep, Father. And besides," she added, "your shirt needed to be fixed."

"C'mon, Ilia. Tell the truth." She put the quickly put the shirt down. "Stop it, Father. You know I am."

"How do you know that?" he teased."

"Because I just told you. I didn't lie."

"Then tell the full truth."

"Father-"

"Are you sure it isn't about a certain boy?"

"What boy? I'm the only person in this whole village that's my age. Really, Father. You're gonna have to try harder than that."

"Do I?"

"Yes." She picked up the shirt and started to sew once again.

"Oh, I thought it had to do with a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy." He watched his daughter carefully. "A boy who probably looks rather handsome, now that he is nearly fifteen years old." Now Ilia understood.

Link.

"Father, I'm not in love with him." she said, embarrassed that she didn't realize earlier.

"Alright." He turned onto his other side and fell asleep. Or she thought he was.

"Oh, and Ilia?"

She jumped. "D-Don't do that, Father! You scared me."

He smiled. "You should get some sleep. You'll get sick if you don't." Ilia sighed and put down the shirt. She stood and dusted off her dress, then leaned over and pecked him on his cheek. "Alright, Father. I will."


	7. Chapter 7: Back again

Link bounced Ava on his lap. He wasn't paying full attention to her, until she grabbed his long, messy hair and yanked hard. "Ow!"

She giggled. "Meow!" He looked down at her and smiled slightly at her reaction.

"Do you take pleasure in my pain, crazy baby girl?"

"Meow!"

"Meow yourself." He sighed and smiled.

"Moo?"

"Moo what?"

She giggled again. "Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo!" Someone chuckled behind him. He turned around. His father was standing in the doorway. Rowan smiled and sat down next to Link. Link handed him Ava, who started chewing on her father's ear.

"So, Link," he began as he set his daughter in his lap and tickled her stomach. She giggled.

"Did you find out what you want to do for your birthday yet?"

Link hesitated, then nodded slowly.

"What is it?"

"I-" He paused.

"I-I want to go back to Ordon." He said quietly.

Rowan looked at him, surprised at first, then his face broke into a grin and he began to laugh. Link turned slightly red. "W-What?"

"I-I'm sorry. It's just that-" He continued to laugh. After a few minutes, he calmed down. "I'm sorry, m'boy. It's just that, last night, Maeri and I stayed up for several hours trying to figure out what you wanted, and that thought didn't even occur to us. It's so obvious, it's funny."

"Oh. So, does that mean...?"

"That it's a yes? Of course, Link. Of course it is." Link smiled with relief. He had been worried before that they would say no.

"In fact, because it's all the way on the other side of Hyrule, we can stay for at the least a month. Would you like that?"

Link smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Yes I would."

"Alright, then." A thought occurred to Rowan. It consisted of a girl that Rusl had told him about.

"Link."

"Yes?"

"Why do you want to go? Is it just because you miss the people, or...something else? Some _one_ else?"

Link blushed. "Mostly the first. I do miss my friend, though."

Rowan nodded. He was in love, if only the slightest.

He was fourteen. Almost fifteen, but still.

* * *

It was early morning. Esmon had recovered quite well from the famine that had swept through the valley many years ago. The village itself wasn't exactly _in_ Hyrule. More like along the border, like Ordon was. It was a small village, consisting of about five or six small houses or cabins. It was in a valley near the mountains, instead of actually _in_ the mountains. It was too cold to raise crops in the mountains. The valley the village was found in was wooded with coniferous trees. There was the village common, which horses and cattle grazed in, and then there were the fields, in which grew wheat, barley, rice (if the climate would allow), and other grains. It wasn't bitterly cold, which surprised many visitors. The temperature tended to stay around 60 degrees (Fahrenheit). There was a river that ran about a hundred meters from the village common. Link realized how peaceful this village was, and felt the tiniest sting of pain for leaving. Maeri had put Ava's coat onto the energetic girl, and now she toddled over to her older brother. She tugged on his pant leg with her tiny hand, and, when she obtained his attention, held up her arms and bounced up and down. Link smiled and picked her up. She tried to kiss his cheek, but gave him a slobbery mess instead. Link chuckled lightly and wiped off his cheek. He knew that she loved him, and he loved this tiny, energetic girl. He carried her over to the wagon and placed her inside. Rowan put his arm on Link's shoulder.

"Remember the last time you were going to Ordon?"

Link laughed. "Yes. I was kicking and screaming, upset that you'd send me away like that."

Rowan laughed. "I didn't think that you were that smart."

"I thought you didn't love me anymore."

"Now you know you answer."

Link laughed again. "Yup. I do. I was right. You don't love me."

Rowan hit him playfully. "You're darn right I don't!" He started laughing, too.

"Alright, boys. If we want to get to Kakariko by tonight, we have to leave. _Now._ " Maeri grabbed them both by the ear.

"Alright, alright! Mercy!"

She pushed them away, faking a scowl. They didn't know that, of course. She was careful to hid her amusement. They yelped when she started towards them again and scrambled into the wagon. She chuckled to herself and climbed into the wagon after them.

"Link?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You're sitting in my spot."

He jumped out of the spot next to his father and offered it to her. She smiled and slapped him playfully, then pecked him on the cheek.

"Hey..."

He wiped the spot she had kissed. She laughed at his reaction and sat next to her husband. She kissed him, too. Ava climbed into Link's lap.

"Alright. You ready?" Rowan asked his family. They nodded, and the wagon set off for Kakariko.

* * *

It was late afternoon when they arrived in Ordon the next day. Maeri and Ava looked around them, Maeri fascinated because she had never seen so many deciduous trees before. Ava because everything fascinated her. A few minutes after they crossed the bridge, they saw a boy standing in front of them. He was standing with a woman. He had straight, blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked to be about seven years old. When he saw them, he gasped and hid behind his mother. Just like Ilia had done. The woman's eyes studied the approaching wagon, and when she saw Link, her face lit up.

"Link!" She called to him. He instantly recognized her voice. He jumped down from the wagon and smiled.

"Link! Oh my goodness, look at you!"

"Hello, Uli. I take it this is Colin?" She nodded. Link looked at him, shocked. "I swear, he's grown three feet!"

Uli laughed. "Just wait until you see Ilia. She's very pretty, although her fire hasn't lessened one bit." Rowan and Maeri came up to him. Uli looked at Rowan, then at Link. "I take it this is your father?" Link smiled and nodded. He noted that Colin was slowly emerging from behind his mother. He pretended he didn't notice. "Maeri. This is Uli, Rusl's wife, and Colin, her son. Uli, this is my stepmother, Maeri, and my father, Rowan. Oh, and baby Ava."

Uli smiled and tickled the baby in his arms. "No!" Ava said, smiling.

Uli laughed. "First word?"

"Third and favorite." She looked up at him and smiled.

"What?"

"Ilia will be so excited to see you. Here she comes."

Ilia came up the path. "Uli, Rusl wants to-" She stared at Link, then at Ava. Link handed Ava to his father. Ilia ran up to him and hugged him as hard as she could. After she let him go, she slapped him. Link smiled.

"You promised that you would come back!" she said angrily Link put his hands up in defense. "Yes, I did, and look! I'm back!"

Ilia scoffed. "Yeah, five years later, you jerk."

"Hey!"

"What? It's true." Link sighed. "Yeah, I know. Sorry for leaving you here alone."

"You better be." She leaned over and whispered into his ear. "You know, I have to endure Beth's constant chattering every day. Talo is getting in more trouble that you can imagine, and Malo is a business mastermind. He got Sera to sell him two bags of candy for a quarter of the price. The kid's five!" Then she looked over at Colin. "The other kids tease him a lot. He's a little timid, but once you know him better, he'll open up to you. He has some very faint memories of you. Rusl's gonna be glad to see ya," she added. Rowan came up to them. "This your girlfriend, Link?" Link glared at him. "Whaddya think?"

"Yes."

"No."

Ilia looked at Link, then at Rowan. "Is that your dad?" she asked Link. He nodded. "Then that would be Maeri, and OH MY GOSH." she said, pointing to Ava.

"She's sooo cute!" a voice behind them said. Link jumped, and when he turned around, a girl stood behind him, laughing.

"Beth!" Ilia said sternly. "Don't laugh."

"He-He just j-jumped-" she laughed harder when she saw Link's amazed expression.

"That's Beth?" he asked Ilia. She nodded. She was holding Ava now, and the little girl wasn't crying, which was amazing. Ilia looked at him. "You want to say something, don't you?"

"Yes. One, Beth and Colin both grew like, what, three feet? Two, you look older, but I seriously doubt you actually are, and-" he held up his arms in self-defense. "Three, Ava isn't crying, which is amazing because she doesn't even know you. Normally, she starts bawling when someone she doesn't know picks her up."

Uli smiled. "Well, Ilia was right when she said that Rusl would miss you, Link. Not just Rusl, but everyone else, too. Why don't we all go down to the main village and say hi?"

Everyone nodded.

"Moo!"


	8. Chapter 8: Growing up

_Day 3 of Goldenleaf, Year 392_

 _Oh, happy day!_

 _Link is back!_

 _He is back! What more can I say?_

 _Not only is he back, he has brought his family with him! My, the boy has grown. He's nearly fifteen._ Fifteen! _He was ten when he left. Speaking of which, his birthday is tomorrow. The Mayor insists on having a party for him. Of course he would! Link is practically a son to him! He's just as excited as I am about this!_

 _The children adore him, and already Beth has fallen in love with him. She's rather young, in my opinion. Colin is more open to him than I expected. Maybe he has memories of him._

 _Mayor Bo has quite an interest in Link. Maybe because Link is the same age as Ilia. Or maybe because he's grown and is strong enough to help out at the ranch. That's what Fado wants him to do, at least. Hopefully, with Link's help, we won't lose three goats every day (I'm exaggerating; it's really about one a week). Well, I don't know what else to write about, and besides, I promised Ilia some help with sewing._

 _Uli, Wife of Rusl_

 _Historian appointed by Mayor Bo_

* * *

"Hey."

Link turned around. It was the fourth day of Goldenleaf, his birthday. The villagers had thrown a party for his birthday and arrival. Now Ilia wanted to tell him something.

"Hey."

"You wanna see Epona? She misses you."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I do. Do you wanna see Epona or not?"

Link shrugged. "Sure." He followed her to the barn. Inside, it smelled of hay, goats, and horses. Epona stood in a stall in the back. The smell of hay was stronger here. Epona whinnied when she recognized the smell of the boy.

"Hey, girl. You miss me?" Link said as he rubbed her copper neck. Ilia handed him a carrot, and he fed it to Epona. She ate it hungrily, and he laughed. "Have you and Fado been feeding her at all?"

"Yes. She just really likes carrots."

Link laughed. "Okay. Do you wanna go on a ride, girl?" Epona nuzzled his neck.

"That means yes." Ilia said. Link turned to her. "Do you wanna come?"

"Sure."

* * *

They rode around the ranch several times. After their third time around, Maeri stopped them. "Link, how long are you going to ride that horse?"

"Until I'm tired."  
"Obviously. I should know. Anyways, your sister is tired and it's getting dark. Be back at the house in five minutes. Okay?"  
"Okay."

He dismounted Epona and helped Ilia get off. She blushed.

"Oh, and Link?"

"Yes?"

She spoke to him quickly, in the Northern tongue.

" _You be nice to that girl, you hear me? Don't tease her."_

" _Sorry, Maeri. I can't do that. She teases me and I tease her back."_ he replied in the same language. Ilia was puzzled. "You're talking about me, aren't you?" she asked. Link and Maeri exchanged a glance. "Nope." they said at the same time. Ilia sighed. "If you're still the same as I remember you, Link, then I think you just lied."

Link shrugged and led Epona back to the barn. Maeri left with Rowan and a sleepy Ava. Ilia stood there, waiting for her friend to return. He came back a few minutes later.

"You need to leave soon." she told him.

"I know."

They stood there, waiting for the other to speak. Most of the villagers had left to put children to bed. After a while, Link broke the silence.

"It's nice to see you again, you know."

Ilia nodded. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. And with that, he turned and left.

* * *

The next day, Fado managed to convince Link to help on the ranch. After he finished, Ava ran up to him and jumped into his lap. Ilia followed.

"Maeri asked me to watch her."  
Link nodded. Ava grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled it as hard as she could.

"Ow!"

She giggled and he tickled her belly, making her laugh harder. Ilia smiled and sat down next to them. Now Ava was biting her brother's ear. Ilia laughed quietly to herself, and Link turned to her. "What?"

"What What?"

"What what what what what?"

She slapped him playfully. "Stop."

"No really, what?"

She sighed. "Nothing."

"Liar."

"Why do you wanna know what I'm thinking, huh?"

"Do you wanna go on a walk?"

This caught her by surprise. "W-What?"

"What?"

"I-I guess."

"You guess or you know?"

She slapped him.

"Do you or do you not?"

"All right."

* * *

They left Ava with Uli and left. The woods were quiet, other than the occasional monkey. After walking for a bit, they found a willow tree next to a stream. Link sat on the edge of the water with Ilia, and after a while, she pushed him in.

"What was that for?!"

"For growing up."

He was quiet, then pulled her in with him. She splashed him, and he laughed and splashed her back. Ten minutes later, they crawled back onto the bank, shivering. She curled up next to him under the tree and dozed off. He shook her gently. When she didn't wake up, He carried her back to her father. When he saw them, he quickly brought them in, asking them what they were thinking getting wet at this time of year. Link merely shrugged and set her down. She woke a few minutes later and went upstairs to change. When she came back downstairs, she saw that Link had already left.

"Ilia."

She turned around. "Yes, father?"

"You need to be more careful around him."

"Why?"

"He's not a little boy anymore. He's growing up."

She sighed. "I know."

* * *

 **Just to avoid confusion, the language system in Hyrule (according to me) goes as follows: There are four different dialects (Northern, Southern, Western and Hyrulian). The Hyrulian dialect is used throughout all of Hyrule, whereas the other three dialects are used regionally. Ilia didn't understand the short conversation between Link and his stepmother because she was taught the Southern dialect, whereas Link and Maeri spoke in the Northern dialect.**


	9. Chapter 9: Dreams

Ilia coughed as she pulled out an odd-looking box. Case. Thing. It was covered in dust and looked to be rather old. Well, older than it actually was, due to the dust. She was in the closet, digging out piles of...well, stuff. She wiped the dust off the case, then breathed in slightly. She knew what this was. To start, it had once belonged to her mother, Arietta. Ilia bit her lip at the thought of her. She still missed her terribly. She sighed and opened the case. She was right. Her mother's old violin. She carefully picked it up, as if she were afraid it would crumble to dust at the slightest touch.

"Dad…?" she called quietly. He didn't answer.

"Dad?" she called again.

"Dad, c'mere. Look."

"Alright, Ilia. I'm coming'." Her father came upstairs, and when he saw her holding the instrument, his eyes softened. She looked up at him.

"Does it still work? Can I play it?"

Bo smiled. "Lemme see that old thing, Ilia. Ya know, It's nearly as old as you are. Your mother and I saved up for the longest time to buy this for her."

"She really liked music, right?"

"Mm-hm. Do you remember?"

Ilia nodded slowly as she started to hum. As she hummed, Bo noticed, tears were slowly gathering at her eyes and falling down her pretty cheek. She looked just like her. His wife.

"Do you remember that one?"

"Yes. It was your mother's favorite."

She touched the bow gingerly. It was a beautiful violin. "What was the song called?"

"It didn't have a name."

She plucked the strings quietly and frowned. It needed tuning. She picked it up and rested it under her chin and began to tune it. Her mother had given her lessons on how to play it, often when Link was outside. She played it. She really needed to practice again. She sighed and placed it back in the case.

"Ilia?

"Yes?"

"...Nothing."

* * *

 _Thud. Thud. Smack_

Ilia bent down in pain, holding her arm. _Stupid bow,_ she thought. The string had hit her arm when she shot. _Hard._ She looked at the spot it had hit. It was already bruising.

"You okay?"

She turned around in surprise. Link. She blushed. He was cute. Why hadn't she noticed before?

"Link! Y-You scared me."

"Huh." He pecked her cheek lightly.

She looked at the ground and blushed. "I-I'm fine."

He sighed and came up to her. "Let me see your arm."

"Why?"

"You're hurt."

"I-It's just a bruise."

"Still." He sighed again. Ilia turned and walked to the tree to retrieve the arrows she had shot earlier.

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"I found something."

"Good for you."

"I found...I found mom's old violin. The on that she played all the time."

"Cool. Are you playing it?"

"Yeah. A little."

He cocked his head at her and smiled. She blushed.

"Do you wanna go back to the stream we found yesterday?"

This caught her by surprise. Not that he didn't do this to her a lot.

"S-Sure."

* * *

They sat under the willow tree again thirty minutes later, talking about the things going on in the village.(Colin is eight, not seven.) After talking for several minutes, she punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow! What is with women and pain?"

She laughed. "Whaddya mean, idiot?"

"You just punched me, Maeri seams to enjoy pulling on my ear and Ava tries to torture me in any way a two-year-old could possibly imagine. Such as puling my hair. Or biting my ear. Or-"

"Alright, I get it. You men see the world in a very strange way. Are you even human?"

Link narrowed is eyes. "Of course not. We're all from an alternate universe."

She laughed and punched him in the shoulder again. He grew quiet.

"Hey..." he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do...I'm...Are you..."

"Am I what?"

He sighed and looked up at the branches above him and closed his eyes.

"I've been getting these really weird dreams recently."

"Tell me."

"Well...it always starts the same way. Everything is blurry. Three people standing in a spring, Epona standing nearby. Then a monster comes and attacks them. Then the dream changes. A field, shrouded in darkness. The sky a constant twilight. A wolf, a black one, running across the field. Then, once more it changed. I saw...a face. A man. Ganon."

"How do you know?"

"...I don't know how I know."

"Keep going. After that?"

"His face faded, and it changed again. A couple were standing outside. A man in black armor riding a battle horse came and gave the man a letter. The man nodded and left with the knight. Then, I saw the same letter, dripping in blood."  
"Gross."

"Yeah. Then everything went white, and I heard a baby cooing softly. A woman sitting in a chair. The man, the father, holding the child. The woman was familiar, although I don't know who exactly. Then I woke."

"Weird. At least it has a happy ending."

"Yeah."

He was silent.

"Hey, Link. This sounds like a very important dream."  
"Yeah."

"Maybe it has something to do with your future. Or someone else's."

"Maybe."

 _Maybe it does,_ he thought.

 _Or maybe not._

* * *

As they walked home that evening, a light snow began to fall. Ilia looked up.

"It's snowing...kinda early..." She sighed.

Link looked at her. "Something wrong?"

"No, I'm just...unusually calm." _Too calm,_ she thought.

"Hey, I'll race you back. Loser has to wash dishes."

He looked at her and smiled. "I'll give you a five-second head start."

"Alright." She pecked his cheek and ran down the path. He ran after her a few seconds later, smiling.

They burst through Mayor Bo's front door at almost the exact same time.

"Who won?" they asked him simultaneously.

"Hmm..." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I would say...Link."

"Yes!" he said triumphantly.

Ilia punched him in the arm.

"I'll help you wash anyways, because I'm nice." he added

"No," Bo said, "it's because your madly in love with my daughter."

"Hey!"

"What? It's true. I saw you kiss her the other day."

"Kiss her cheek. Right?"

"Yep. you're in love with me."

Ilia and her father laughed. Link scowled.

"I'm not helping you wash."


	10. Chapter 10: Winter

"Link? Hey."

Ilia shook her friend gently. They were at the ranch, and Link had fallen asleep. Which was perfectly normal, if you ignore the fact that he was lying on several feet of snow in the middle of December.

"Hmm?"

"Wake up. You fell asleep."  
He yawned. "Yeah, apparently. Why'd you wake me up?"

She giggled and ran her fingers through his long, messy hair. "You're soaking wet."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

He looked at her, smiling wickedly.

"W-What?"

"Nothin'. Well, just this." He grabbed her and pinned her to the ground. She too became soaking wet from the snow.

"Link! Let me go! Now!"

"No."

She sighed. "I'll tell your dad," said said quietly. He let her go, and she bit back a smile.

"C'mon, lets get Colin and Talo and go sledding." she said.

"Sure. Race you."

"No way. You know what happened last time."

He laughed. "Race you anyways."

She sighed. "Fine."

* * *

"Link! Link, stop!"

Ilia was laughing so hard her throat hurt.

"Link!"  
"No!"

He pushed off and they went down the hill, Ilia screaming and Link laughing. When the sled stopped, they rolled off it and Ilia hugged him

"Umm...Ilia?"

She looked up at him. "Are you staying?"

"I think so. I mean, we can't go back. There' too much snow."

She smiled. "Ok. Do you know why I asked?"

"Because...you wanted me to stay?"

"Kinda. Actually, my birthday's next week"

"Cool. Umm, how old are you?"

She stared at him in disbelief. "Do you really not-" She sighed. "Never mind."

"Ilia, how-"

"Shut up. I'm cold, and it's getting dark." she said, getting up and heading back to her place. She turned around.

"You wanna come?"

"Sure."

They headed back to her home. Link was surprised to see Ava come running out and he caught her before she tripped.

"Yuck!"

"What?"

Ilia tickled her chin, and Ava giggled. "What did you say?"

"Yuck, Yuck Yuck!"

Link looked at his friend, then at the little toddler bouncing in his arms. "Did you say yuck? I thought you only knew No, Moo and Meow."

"Meow! Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo..."she babbled.

He tickled her nose. She laughed. "Yuck!"

"Yuck to you."

Ilia shivered. "Let's get inside."

Maeri and Rowan were talking with the Mayor inside, which explained the fact that Ava was here. Link and Ilia came in cold and wet, and Ava was, well...Ava. Rowan laughed when he saw them, and Maeri handed them both a cup of hot cocoa and a towel. Ilia smiled and thanked her. She and Link sat down in front of the fire, trying to warm up.

"Next week, on Wednesday, I'm turning 14. Do you wanna do something then?"

"Sure," Link said, sipping his drink.

She yawned and leaned her head on his shoulder. It was dark outside now. "It's snowing again..." she said quietly. Link nodded, and she fell asleep next to him, still holding her cocoa and wrapped in a towel. Link smiled to himself and sipped at his own drink. Bo sighed and shook his head, smiling.

"Lovebirds."

"Hey!"

"Just sayin'."

* * *

The next morning, Link sat at the small dining table is his uncle's former home, carving a piece of wood. Colin came by to watch him carve, fascinated by Link's secret talent for woodcarving. After a few hours, Maeri had him clean up so they could eat lunch at the table. Afterwards, he decided to go outside instead. _I have at least four days to finish it,_ he thought. _Besides, Ilia's probably mad._

He was right.

As soon as she saw him, she punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Where _were_ you ALL DAY?!"

"It's noon."

She slapped him.

"Ow..."

"Shut up."

Link sighed. Ilia smiled and, knowing she had won, grabbed his arm and pulled him to the pond.

"C'mon, the pond froze over, and it looks thick enough to skate on. Let's go!"

She dragged him by the arm, Link stumbling behind her, smiling to himself.

"You know, Ilia, it's really cute when you act like that."

He smiled at her, and she slapped him, her face turning bright red as she spoke.

"S-Shut up!"

He laughed and took her hand as he led her to the pond.

"You wanted to go skating, didn't you?"

She nodded and followed him.

 _He's holding my hand!_

* * *

They skated for hours, racing and crashing into everything then laughing. He was having so much fun. He didn't want to go home. But he knew he had to as the sun started to set. He reluctantly bade her farewell and headed back to the house nestled in the branches of the huge tree. Ava grabbed his leg as a greeting, and he half-dragged her to the table to work on his carving again. Ava sat on the table and watched her older brother carve away. After thirty minutes or so, she yawned and fell asleep. Link smiled and picked her up, careful not to wake her. He carried her to her crib, and he went to work on the carving again. Several hours later, he finished the carving. As he headed to his room, his father stopped him.

"What?"

"Do you know what time it is?"

"N-No."

"It's past midnight."

"Oh."

Rowan fell silent.

"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"Y-Yeah."

"...Be careful around her, okay?"

"O-Okay."

Rowan sighed. He bade his son goodnight and left to his own room.

 _What was that about?_ Link thought. He pushed this aside, though, and flopped onto his bed. He was asleep within minutes.

* * *

"Happy Birthday, Ilia."

Link held out a necklace. He had used the horse carving as a pendant.

Ilia gasped and her face broke out into a smile.

"Y-You made this for me?"

Link smiled and nodded. Ilia jumped up and hugged him.  
"Thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou!"

Link smiled. "Ilia..."

She let go, and he put it around her neck. She smiled and hugged him again.

"Thank you _sooo_ much, Link. I love it."

The rest of the day consisted of Ilia's birthday party. Ava covered her face with cake, then she got extremely hyper. She crashed and fell asleep thirty minutes later. After the party, Link and Ilia left for the willow tree. The stream had frozen, and the snow was still one or two feet thick. They sat under the tree, drawing pictures in the snow.

"Link..."

"Yeah?"

"What's...What's Hyrule like?"

Link paused. "You know, to tell the truth, I don't really know. I mean, I've traveled _through_ part of Hyrule, but never actually stayed _in_ Hyrule. Sorry."

"It's alright. I was just curious."

"Ilia..."

"Hmm?"

He hesitated. "Ilia...m-my dad said we have to leave soon.

She whipped around and faced him. "W-What?!"

"Why?!"

He sighed.

"Link, you can't leave! Not now!"  
"Why?"

The truth was, she didn't know why. She didn't tell him.

"Link, the village needs you. Rusl needs you. _I_ need you!"

"I-I know."

"Not just that, but don't you want to finish your sword training with Rusl?"

"Y-Yeah, but-"

"But what? Link, please. Don't leave."

He sighed and fell silent. He looked at her face. There were tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.

"Why did you have to tell me today, of all days!"  
"Ilia, I'm sorry."

She slapped him. _Hard._ "Sorry won't cut it."

And with that, she stormed off, tears streaming down her pretty cheeks. Tears she didn't want _him_ to see.

* * *

"Dad?"

Link was laying on his bed, his father sitting on the floor, playing with Ava.

"Yes?"

"C-Can I stay here?"

Rowan set his baby girl down and looked at his son.

"What?"

"I asked if I could stay here."

"Link, you're 15."

"Exactly."

Rowan sighed. "You're _only_ 15\. Why do you want to stay? How would you earn money? Don't you like Esmon?"

"First, Ilia, Colin, Talo, Beth and Malo are here. On top of that, I could finish my sword training with Rusl. Second, I could work at the ranch. Fado isn't the best goat herd around. Not to be mean."

"I agree with you on that one. And Third?"

"Yes, I do like Esmon. But Esmon isn't Ordon."

Rowan sighed again. "Link, those aren't my main problems. You know that."

"Then what is?"

"Ilia."

"W-What about her?"

"Link, she's a 14-year-old girl whom you spend practically all your time with. You're 15, as I said earlier. I don't trust you being alone here with her. She's only 14."

"Dad, I'm not alone. Her dad is well aware of that. And besides, I have absolutely no plans whatsoever that consist of whatever you were thinking about. Dad, please."

"Link..."

"Please!"

"I can't be with you all the time."

"Then compromise. You can visit me once a year for my birthday and make sure I'm doing alright."

"Six months."

"Do you have the time?"

He sighed. He didn't, and he knew that. Oh, the love a father has for a son.

"How about this? I visit once a year and ask the villagers if you've behaved, especially around Ilia. If yes, then you can stay another year. If not, then you're coming back to Esmon and you're not coming back here without me again. Sound fair?"

"Dad!'

"Yes or no?"

Link sighed. "Fine. I agree."

"Good. Now, son. It's getting late, and you need some time to devise up some prank to pull on me as payment for doing this to you."

"Gee, you shouldn't have told me that."

"Go!"

Link laughed. "Thanks dad. For everything."

"I said go to bed. _Now_."

He swiped his hand at his son's head, and Link ducked and ran away, laughing.

* * *

Link tapped on the keys, fascinated by the fact that they made _noise._ Wait...

This white one, then these ones, then that one...

That sounded like the song that Ilia played on the violin. And these keys sounded good along with those other notes...

Some of them were labeled. _C, D, E, F, G. A, B_ and _C._

He tapped A, then B, C, D...

No, wait.

"Link?"

He turned around. Uli was standing in the doorway, Colin with her.

"Link, do you want to learn how to play piano? You're a natural."

He looked at the instrument, tapped a few notes and shrugged.

"I dunno..."

"Might I change your mind?"

She sat down on the bench and started to play a song. Link watched in amazement as her fingers danced, creating the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard in his life. She played for several minutes, and when she finished, she turned to face him.

"That song was called _Clair de Lune._ Do you want to learn?"

He nodded. "Yes. Please teach me."

Uli smiled and patted the bench next to her, and he sat.

"First, let me tell you. Talent never comes at once, especially with music. Piano takes time and diligence. It also requires practice and patience. Don't rush."

And with that, his first piano lesson began.

* * *

"Link, Maeri, Ava and I are leaving tomorrow."

He nodded, not looking up from the paper.

Rowan sighed. "Link, what are you doing?"

"Nothin'."

"Well, you're obviously doing something."

"Uh-huh."

"Aren't you going to say bye to us?"

Link sighed and set the paper down. Rowan picked it up.

"Epona? You're drawing again?"

"Yeah, a bit."

"A bit? This is really good."

"T-Thanks."

Rowan smiled and patted his son on the back.

"You gonna say bye? Ava will throw a fit if you don't."

"Yeah, and then she'll rip my hair out the next time she sees me."

"Maeri will punch you."

"With words. I think that hurts more than her punches."

"Are you insulting my wife?"

Link laughed. "Yes, I am."

Rowan slapped him.

"Well, I don't think you want the girls to do that to you. Ilia won't love you anymore if you're bald."

"Hey!"

"Then go say goodbye!"

"I'm goin'!" Link cried as he ran outside.

"Link, there you are!" Maeri exclaimed as he came outside.

"I thought you didn't love us!"

"I don''t."

She slapped him.

"Ooh, that one was loud. Your cheek's turning red," a familiar voice said. She was behind him. Ilia.

"Are you all right? I came to say goodbye to your family, if you were wondering. Everyone else already said bye."

"Impatient kids, huh?"

"They were hungry. You know, Colin thought you were leaving, too. He burst into tears, the poor kid."

Link laughed lightly. "Did you tell him?"

"No, Rusl did."

"Ah."

Maeri grabbed his ear.

Are you gonna say bye or not?!"

"B-Bye!"

"Louder!"  
"BYE!"

She let him go, satisfied. "Good. Now to Ava."

"Ba!"

Link laughed and picked up his sister."

"Bye-bye, Ava."

"Ba-ba!"

Link laughed.

"Bye."


	11. Chapter 11: The Forest

Link lay in the grassy field. Epona grazed nearby. He had removed her saddle and bridle, and Ilia sat next t him, humming softly.

He was seventeen, now.

Two years had passed. It was late spring, and the trees were covered in blossoms. He had made an agreement with Ilia. She taught him archery, and in return, he taught her piano and drawing (Ilia had threatened him, so he agreed to both).

All was well. Actually, it wasn't. Absolute chaos was taking place around him in the form of Fado and the goats.

"Link?"

"Yeah?"

"Rusl said that the Princess of Hyrule asked for a specially crafted sword. Made specifically by Rusl."

"As tribute for Hyrule's protection?"

"Yeah. What do you think about it?"

"I think she's being extremely kind by only asking for a sword."  
"Of all things, why a sword?"

"I'm sure she has her reasons."

"Yeah..." She laid down next to him and placed her ear on his chest. _Ba bump. Ba bump. Ba bump._

"Ilia..."

"Yeah?"

"If I left, would you miss me?"

She looked up at him. "Yes, of course I would."

"O-Okay."

"Why?"

"Just wonderin'."

"Oh."

As they talked, Fado tried desperately to keep the goats in the field, to no success. Finally, Link sighed.

"Hey, Fado!" he called.

"Need any help?"

"Yes!"

"What? No?"

"I said YES!"

"I guess not, Ilia." She giggled.

"LINK, I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T HELP ME!" Fado cried.

"Will you be alive to do that?" he called back to him.

"Link, I think you should help him." Ilia said, giggling.

"Alright, fine. Epona!"

She came up to him and gave him a look.

"What?"

She huffed. He mounted bareback.

In a few minutes, the goats were in the barn. Quiet. Finally.

As Link headed back, Colin, now eleven, ran up to him.

"Link!"

"Yeah?"

"My dad wants you to help him gather firewood. "

"Okay. Thanks."

Colin smiled.

"C'mon!"

* * *

"Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls? They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs..." Rusl said quietly.

Link nodded, curious of what he had in mind. They were at the Faron Spring, and Epona was laden with wood.

"The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world. That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight..."

 _Oookay, right,_ Link thought.

"But enough talk of sadness...I have a favor to ask of you, Link. I was supposed to deliver something to the royal family of Hyrule the day after tomorrow..."

"The sword? Didn't the mayor give _you_ that task?"

"Yes, it was a task set to me by the mayor, but...would you go in my stead? You have...never been to Hyrule, right?"

"Well..." Rusl smiled and looked up at the pink sky.

"In the kingdom of Hyrule there is a great castle, and around it is Castle Town, a community far bigger than our little village. And far bigger than Hyrule is the rest of the world the gods created. You should look upon it all with your own eyes."

"O-Okay. Yeah, I'll do it, if it's alright with the mayor."

Rusl looked at him and smiled.

"I knew you would."

He looked back up at the swiftly setting sun.

"It is getting late... We should head back to the village. I will talk to the mayor about this matter."

Link nodded and stood. Epona moved closer to him, and he led her out of the forest with Rusl. Uli and Colin were waiting for them when they got there. Uli was pregnant. Six months pregnant. Link smiled as Rusl and his little family walked home. As he watched them, he got this feeling, a desire... He'd been getting it a lot. Especially now... Before they rounded the corner, Colin turned to him, smiled and waved. He waved back. As soon as they disappeared from view, he climbed up the ladder to his house. As soon as he got inside, he collapsed on the bed. Outside, he could hear Fado calling him.

"Hey! Link! You there? Hey, you mind helpin' me herd the goats? They ain't listenin' to me lately!"

Link poked his head out of the window.

"I thought I already herded them in a few hours ago!"

Fado rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, right. Could ya do it again? Please?"

Link sighed. "Sure, just gimme a sec."

"Hey, where's Epona?"

Link smiled. He knew. She had been doing this a lot recently. He climbed down the ladder and headed for the spring. Ilia. She turned to face him, surprised to see him. Epona was clean and brushed.

"Oh, hi, Link! I washed Epona for you!"

Link smiled. "Yeah. Thanks. Wow, you did a much better job than I could ever do."

Ilia smiled and blushed. "Thank you. Oh, are you going to herd up the goats? You better be nice to her, Epona's a girl, too, ya know." she added with a wink.

Link smiled at her and nodded. "Oh, but listen, Link..."

"Yeah?"

"Could you do something for me? Can you use a piece of grass to play that song for me? You know, the one that Epona likes? I tried to play it for her, but I just can't seem to play it the way you can, Link."

He laughed. "All right, Ilia. You know," he added, "you like that horse too much."

She laughed. "That's not possible." Link smiled and picked the reed whistle that grew naturally on the bank of Ordon Spring. He blew into it lightly and played the pretty melody that Ilia had requested. Epona whinnied in response.

"It's such a nice melody...Epona looks happy. Well, she's all prettied up now, so I suppose you can ride her back. But don't you make her do too much, Ok?"

Link nodded and pecked her on the cheek. "And Ilia..."

"Yeah?" "I'm probably going to be gone for a while..."

"...Where to?" "Castle Town. Remember the sword Rusl's making? He asked me to deliver it. He's gonna ask your dad if it's alright.."

"O-okay. How long are you going to be gone?"

"I dunno..."

Ilia frowned. "Well, you better find out. I'm gonna miss you," she said, pecking him on the cheek.

"And anyways," she added, "isn't Fado waiting for you at the ranch?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Then you should probably go."

"Alright." Link mounted Epona and rode off to the ranch. As soon as he go there, Fado ran up to him.

"Sorry to get you over here in such a hurry, Link!" Fado said relived. "These guys have been awful skittish lately. They won't listen to a word I say. Sorry to ask, bud, but how's about you an' Epona herd 'em into the barn real quick? We ain't got much time, so you think you can do it for me?"

Link nodded. "Sure."

"Much obliged there, bud! OK, then, go on an' herd all these little scamps into the barn for me!"

Link nodded and spurred Epona forwards. The goats were in the barn within a few minutes.

"Link, Epona... Much obliged to both of y'all! I can cover everythin' tomorrow without havin' to trouble you, so just sit back an' relax, bud. Oh... But, uh, how 'bout today? Wanna practice with fences?"

"Sure. You okay, Epona?"

She whinnied her response.

Fado laughed. "Just wait a spell, bud. I'll get them fences set up." Link nodded. "Thanks, Fado!" he called. "Y' welcome, bud!" Fado called He went inside the barn and pulled out the fences. After a few minutes, Link dismounted and helped him set up.

"Ho, thanks, Link!"

"You don't have to set up all of them."

"You sure?"

Link laughed. "Yeah, Ilia would hurt me if she thinks I'm jumping to much."

"Ah."

They finished putting up the fences and Fado sighed.

"Hoo, sorry that took so long! OK, then! Y'all ride all you want! Y'all get tired of ridin', just jump the gate an' head back into the village, OK, bud?"

"Alright. Thanks, Fado!" He gently dug his heels into Epona's side, and she jumped the first fence. Link kept his back straight and heels down, as Rusl had taught him.

"Good job, girl!"

They jumped for a few more minutes, then Link dismounted and gave Epona some rest. He handed her an apple which 'magically appeared' in his pocket. She ate it hungrily, and Link laughed. "You did a good job today, girl." She nuzzled him, and he laughed again. Then he mounted her and jumped the gate to leave the ranch.

* * *

"So, Mayor..."

"Why do you call me that? My name is Bo, Rusl. You know that."

"I do, but you're the Mayor." He groaned.

"Okay, fine. Is there something you wanted?"

"Yes, actually. So, earlier today, I spoke to Link about the royal gift to Hyrule..."

Ilia listened from the stairs.

 _Please say no, Father. Please say no._

"I was thinking...what if we sent him to go instead of me?"

"Rusl..."

"I know, it sounds kinda crazy, but he _is_ seventeen, now. And-"

"And he needs more room. He needs to see the rest of the world. Right?"

"Y-Yes."

"How long would he be gone?"

"'Bout a month."

 _Please say no. Please, Father, please. Don't make him leave me, Father. Not for a whole month._

He paused to consider the situation. Bo had to admit, it was a good idea, other than he being gone for a month. After a few minutes, Rusl became impatient.

"So, can he go?"

"Yes."

Rusl laughed.

"I knew you would say that, Bo."

 _No. No. No, no, no, no, no, no! Why, father?! Why?!_

"I'm sure he'll like it."

"Yeah. I'll tell tell him later. Thanks again."

She heard the door close as Rusl left. She sighed and stood up to go to bed. As she changed into he nightgown, an idea struck her. _I should make something for him to take with him._ She smiled. When she finished changing, she went downstairs.

"Father..."

"Yes, Ilia?"

"If Link comes by tomorrow, don't let him in, okay?"

"Sure. Um, why?" She smiled.

"I'm gonna make something, and I don't want him to see. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Night, Father."

"You, too, Ilia."

* * *

"Hey, wake up, Link! It's morning already!" Link groaned and fell out of his bed. Morning already! He sighed and looked out the window. Talo, Malo and Beth stood outside. He waved. "C'mon down, Link!" He nodded and climbed down the ladder. He quickly changed and washed his face, then went outside.

"Oh, Link! Didja hear? They're selling a slingshot at the store right now! A SLINGSHOT!"

"I wonder how powerful it is... I... I need... I must try it..." Malo said, stretching his hands experimentally.

"Talo, if you and Malo want it so badly, just buy it at my parents' shop!" Beth said, annoyed.

Talo turned to her and frowned. "Do you see any rupees in my hand? I can't afford that thing! C'mon, Beth, can't you just loan it to us for a while?"

"You know I'd get in trouble for that! If you two want it, save up your allowances or something."

"But... our allowances are terrible... Aww, I wish I was born into a family with a slingshot instead of one with a waterwheel..." Malo said sadly.

"C'mon, Beth. We just want to LOOK at it a little! So can you get it? The slingshot? From the shop?" Talo asked.

"...Yeah, and if you can't do that, let's just trade families, OK?"

"KNOCK IT OFF!"

Link chucked and turned to check on Epona. Colin was gently stroking her mane.

"Hi, Link... You have the day off work today, right? So...I finished the fishing rod I was making. Link, I figured I'd give it to you first thing in the morning, but my dad said, "You just wait until Link comes to get it!" So I didn't bring it to you..."

"It's also the first day off in a while for Epona, right? She must be happy..."

"Yeah, she is." he said, handing him a carrot.

"Here. Hold your hand out like this...no, flatten it all the way, or else she might bite you...yeah, see?"

Colin giggled as she ate the carrot out of his hand. "It feels kinda...weird...in a good way."

"Yeah."

"Hey, Talo and Malo really want that slingshot...Maybe you should get it for them...I mean, it'd still be yours, so you can make sure they don't hurt each other. Or Beth."

Link smiled. "Good idea. Maybe I should do it."

Colin nodded, and Link headed down tho the main village.

"Well hey, 'morning, Link."

Hanch said when he saw him. "Got a day off from work today, m'boy?"

Link smiled and nodded. "First time in a long time. You?"

"Not me. The wife's been hassling me... Today's the day to restock our store. Look! See? Up there in that tree...Yeah, some Ordon bees built themselves a fine nest up there, and I was thinking about knocking it down...Our cat hasn't come home since yesterday, so the wife's in a bad mood. At the very least, I need to bring something home to her..."

"Yeah." Link said lazily.

He headed for Rusl's house to ask if he had finished fixing his sword, when Uli stopped him.

"Oh, um, good morning to you. If you are looking for my husband, he took his sword and left early this morning. But I must ask, Link...You have not seen a cradle come floating by here, have you? It is a baby's cradle made of finely woven tree bark...Oh, such a misfortune... How far could it have drifted, I wonder..."

"I'll try to find it for you." Uli looked up.  
"Really, Link? Oh, thank you so much!" He smiled and headed downstream to look for it. As he walked, he could hear a monkey faintly screeching...something. Curious, he followed the sound to the pond. The pond? Slightly confused, he climbed the vines that grew along the rock face of one of the several rocks that jutted out of the water. Yes, the pond. He could see the monkey, a female, holding the cradle Uli had been looking for. He spotted a plant growing on the farthest rock. If he could get over there... He jumped onto the next rock, then the roof of Sera's shop, then the rock with the plant. He played a simple tune on the reed whistle, and a hawk flew down and landed on his arm. He whispered something to it, then released it. It flew towards the monkey and grabbed the cradle with its talons. He grabbed it as the hawk passed nearby.

"Oh! Link! My thanks to you for finding it for me! Oh, that reminds me! There is something I am supposed to give to you...Do you think you could carry that cradle and come with me back to my house?" Uli said happily.

"Sure."

He followed her up the path. She looked tired. She sat down on the step when they got there, and Link set the cradle next to her.

"My thanks to you, Link. Oh, I had nearly forgotten... I am supposed to give you this...All right... Here you go!" she said as she handed him the fishing rod Colin had made.

"It is a little...unpolished. My son, Colin, made this under the instruction of his father. You can use it if you like. When my son Colin grows up, I want him to be just like you. He really is a sweet boy... He can just be a little...timid."

"It's a pretty good rod, if you ask me."

"Really? Oh, Colin will be so happy to hear that."

"I'm sure I would be, too, if I were him."

"Well, why don't you tell him?" Link laughed.

"Yeah I'll go do that."

"And Link?" He turned around.

"Yeah?"

"New song: Canon in D, by Johann Pachelbel. Okay?"

"'Kay. Thanks, Uli."

"You, too, Link."

As he walked back to his house, Jaggle called him from above. He was standing on top of the rock that Link had climbed to get the cradle for Uli earlier.

"Yo! There you are! Check this out... You know Sera, at the general store? Well, isn't that her cat over there? He's just been sitting there next to my house, having a staring contest with the creek. You don't suppose he's thinking he's gonna catch a fish, do you? Ha ha ha! A cat can't catch no fish!"

Link laughed.  
"Maybe not, but you never know."

"Hey, why don't you tell her about her cat, bein' over there and all...or better yet, catchim' a fish!"

"Sure."

He walked over to the cat. When he got close, it ran away, and he laughed

"Stupid cat..."

He got out the rod that Colin had made and cast it. After a while, a fish swam up to examine the bait. Then it bit. Link pulled against it, and after a while the fish was out if the water. He held it out to the cat.

"Here, kitty, kitty..."

It slowly crawled close, then when it was within a few inches, it grabbed he fish and bolted away. Link laughed.

"Stupid cat..."

He went over to the Mayor's house to see Ilia, when he realized that he had not sen her once _all day_.

 _Is something wrong?_ he thought as he went over to her house.

"Eh? Oh, did you need Ilia for somethin'?" the mayor said as Link tried the doorknob.

"Naw, I just wanted to see her. She hasn't been out at all, today."

"Sorry, sonny, but I was told that if you came by today, I wasn't to let you inside. She's locked herself in her room, workin' like crazy on somethin' or other..."

"Well, can't you just let me in to _talk_ to her?"

"Sorry, sonny...but Ilia told me not to let you in today. She'll be awful sore at me if I break my word. She's the spittin' image of her late mother, that girl... Right down to her strong will..."

"Yeah..."

Link sighed. Then he remembered Colin's suggestion about the slingshot. He got up and headed to the store. _Gee, Colin sure is nice to suggest that, considering the fact that Talo and Malo tease him all the time..._ Sera greeted him happily as he entered.

"Oh, my! Link! Come in! Oh, you simply MUST here this! My little kitty cat is so amazing! Today, he caught a fish all by his little old self! How do you think he caught it? Maybe he's a genius! Ohhh, just look... Isn't he so cute, the way he laps up that milk? Say, m'dear, why don't you have some, too! I'm in a good mood, so it's on the house today!" she said, handing him a bottle half full of milk.

"Oh, don't worry, you don't have to return the empty bottle, m'dear. You can reuse it—you know, put something else in it. Recycling is a very important thing, m'dear! I'm sure YOU'D never do anything of the sort, but kids these days toss things out like the whole world was disposable! It's criminal! So, what do you say, m'dear? Is there anything you want today? Feel free to look around."

Link smiled. She was right about being in a good mood.

"How much is the slingshot?"

"The slingshot is 30 Rupees. Do you want to buy it, m'dear?"

"Sure."

"What are you doing buying a slingshot, you naughty thing? You're too old for toys! Will you at least let the kids play with it? Oh, I should tell you, if you happen to run out of pellets, you can also use pumpkin seeds."

"Thanks, Sera." Link said with a smirk as he handed her the money.

He left and headed back to his house. Rusl walked by as he went.

"Ah, just in time, Link! I just delivered something to your room! Oh, I see you got the fishing rod. Colin will be pleased. And it works better than you would think, right? Well, have a good one..." "You, too, Rusl." "Oh, and I asked the mayor about the trip to castle town..."

"And?"

"He said yes, and it's going to take a month at most."

"Okay. Thanks, Rusl."

"Y'welcome, Link." He headed up to his house. Beth, Talo and Malo were still arguing over the slingshot. Link smiled as he walked by, reminded of how he and Ilia used to be. He climbed up the ladder and went inside to get his sword. Rusl had fixed it for him. He smiled and went outside.

"Link has a slingshot! WHOA!" Talo said, running up to him.

"Wow! You had enough money to buy it, Link?" Beth said excitedly.

"Yeah."

"Preparations complete..." Malo mumbled.

"OK, wow, this is great! Let's see how powerful that slingshot is! Hit the targets AND those scarecrows!"

"I can't believe you two brats are so obsessed about this. It just shows what little boys you both still are. These two will never let it go, Link. Just show them." Beth said, annoyed.

Link sighed, then smiled and shook his head as he pull it back and shot. The target wasn't made well, so it shattered on contact.

"Whoa! You hit it! You hit it!" Beth said happily.

"I thought you weren't interested, Beth..."

She turned around and stuck hr tongue out. "Shut up, Malo."

Link sighed again and hit the rest of the targets.

"Gee, you really are amazing, Link!" Talo said

"Yeah, you are! You can use swords and slingshots and everything!" Beth said.

"Hey, yeah, that reminds me, you've gotta teach us how to use a sword, too. Seriously! Lately these monkeys have been coming out of the woods and playing tricks on us! We want to get them GOOD! C'mon, teach us how to use a sword!"

Link smiled. "Okay, fine." "All right!" Talo said, throwing his arms into the air. "First off, we wanna see THAT move! The slice!"

Link swung at the scarecrow horizontally. He was kinda tired.

"Wow! A horizontal slice! Was that it? Was it? I think I've seen you do a vertical slice before, too. All right, next..." Talo said.

"Ooh! Ooh! I wanna see that other move, Link! The one where you...um...like, move your arm like this...and...yeah." said Beth.

"...Oh, please. The stab?" Malo said, bored.

Link laughed. "Alright, Beth. I'm sure you can do it."

She turned bright red. "N-No I can't."

Link sighed and stabbed it.

"Ooh, Link! Just amazing! Since you're at it, how about you show us that other move...Y'know, that little twirly thing you..."

* * *

After Link had finished giving the kids a basic tutorial on sword fighting, Talo and the rest of the children ran off, chasing a monkey. Or, to be more precise, the monkey that had taken Uli's cradle. He was now walking through Faron woods, looking for Talo. _He's probably headed up to the Forest Temple,_ he thought. He turned around and headed north towards the temple. Two Bokoblins stood in front, Talo and the monkey trapped in a cage made of wooden bars.. When they saw him, they ran to him, clubs ready. Link pulled out his slingshot and hit one in the nose. While the one he had hit stood there, holding his bleeding nose, Link whacked the other on the head, the turned to the other and hit him in the nose again. It fell down. He stabbed the second one in the back, and it jumped up and charged at him. He hit it with the slingshot on the shin, and then hit it in the back of the head. It passed out.

After the fight, Link walked over to Talo and the monkey and broke the wooden bars. Talo jumped out and hugged him, and Link took him home.

"If you hadn't come, Link... Gee, me and that monkey would've gotten eaten, probably! She's actually a pretty nice gal, that monkey... She tried to protect me, so we got captured together."

"Huh. That's nice..."

"Um, Link..."

"Yeah?"

"You're not gonna mention this to my dad, are you? He's always telling me to never, EVER go into the forest, 'cause he says it's dangerous... So you really can't tell him! Really! You have to promise!"

"All right, fine." Talo hugged him and ran off. Rusl came by. At that point, Link noticed that the sun was setting.

"Link! My son told me Talo disappeared into the woods and had not returned. I came as soon as I heard...But it looks like you have brought him home already... I apologize. Such a task should not fall to you."

"Heh. Don't be _too_ confident."

Rusl laughed, them is face turned grim.

"Tell me, have you noticed how strange this wood seems lately? I feel... uneasy about what may lie in wait...Anyway, Link...Tomorrow is finally the day. You will be departing for Hyrule. I think it is a good thing I have given this task to you...Good luck! And return safely! If you are lucky, you may even get to meet Princess Zelda! Ah ha ha!"

"Yeah..."

He and Rusl walked back to the village in silence. Ilia stood in front of Link's house, waiting for him. She came up to him and pecked him on the cheek when she saw him.

"Hey."

"Hey. What were you doing all day?"

"Stuff."

"Like?"

"Making things."

"Like?"

"Stuff that you will find out about tomorrow, mister."

He sighed. "I'm impatient. You know that."

She slapped him.

"Hey..."

"Yeah?"

"We haven't played together in a while..."

"Played?"

"You know, like piano and violin. Do you wanna?"

"Sure."

He smiled and pecked her on the cheek, and they walked down to Rusl's house.


	12. Chapter 12: And so it Begins

Link sighed.

It's only been a few weeks, and already everything was different.

Everything.

The day he was supposed to leave, Ilia had gotten upset at him over a gash on Epona's leg. She left quickly, taking Epona with her to the spring. She had refused him entry; she had insisted that he "change his behavior", rather ironic if you think about it.

Everything happened so quickly after that.

Ilia's apology. The Bulblins. The arrow. Colin. Then blackness.

He had awoken about ten minutes later, dizzy from the hit. Realizing what had just happened, he had ran, looking desperately for his friend. Then a wall, a hand, darkness.

A beast had grabbed him by the throat and he was quickly losing consciousness.

Then a light. Searing pain. Then darkness once more.

He had awoken in a jail cell, a chain around his...paw?

He had transformed...into a wolf?!

He was a wolf.

He was a wolf.

He was a wolf!

Why?!

This was what was going through his head as he helplessly tugged at the chain.

 _Ilia..._

Then he heard something.

A giggle.

Unearthly, almost.

He had turned to see...a girl?!

Floating?!

This was getting weirder by the second.

 _I'm dreaming,_ _I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming._

* * *

" _I found you!"_

What?

 _Link growled at the strange girl. What did she want with him?_

" _Oooh! Aren't you scary! Eeh hee! Are you sure you want to be doing that? Snarling and glaring at me? Well, that's too bad...I was planning on helping you...if you were nice."_

Wait...help...me? Why me? Maybe I should...

 _Link stopped growling. Maybe she was telling the truth. Besides, what does growling do? Especially to a girl who doesn't seem to be frightened at all, has black and white skin, red eyes, and floats?_

" _Eeh hee! That's much better! You humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you? Oops! But you AREN'T a human anymore, are you? You're a beast! Eeh hee!"_

What. Did. She. Just. Call. Me?!

 _He tried to snap at her, but the chain didn't let him._

" _There, there. You be a good boy and calm down. No need to bite!"_

 _He backed up, but still growled at her._ _She held her hands in a certain way, as if holding a ball, ten she closed her eyes. A ball of black and blood red...something.. formed in her hands. Then she moved them away, and the ball disappeared. Then the chain around his front paw broke. He jumped._

" _You look kind of surprised! Eeh hee hee! So! I bet you're wondering, where exactly are we? Well, I'll make you a deal. If you can get over here,"_ _She had said, on the other side of the bars, "maybe I'll tell you! Eeh hee!"_

 _Link growled a little. He cringed at the noise the chain made when he moved._

Well, I'm a wolf. What are wolves good at?

Scent.

 _He placed his nose against the cold, cobblestone ground and started to sniff around. He smelled...dirt. Mud. Under the boxes in a corner. He went over to them and broke the boxes. Yes, dirt. He dug under the bars and came out to the other side._

* * *

That was how he met Midna.

Now, he was no longer in the dungeon of Hyrule Castle, but in Kakariko, lying in a bed in the middle of the night. The Gorons were at peace, now. They had realized the pain and suffering they had caused to the people in Kakariko and had vowed never to be so selfish ever again.

Link sighed. Life works in funny ways.

Why did _he_ have to be Hero of Twilight?

Why did Ilia have to disappear?

Why was he feeling like this?

Why couldn't it be someone else?

But he knew the answer.

Because the goddesses chose him.

Because they felt him worthy.

Because Hyrule needed him.

And he would help, even if it cost his life.

"Link..."

"Yeah, Midna?"

"We need to go. I mean, don't you have a girlfriend you want to save?"

"She's not me girlfriend"

"Huh." Midna had grown quite passive towards him. Kinda.

Link sighed. She was right. He grabbed his sword and shield and stood up to leave. He quietly opened the door.

"Link?" He turned around, surprised.

"Colin?!"

"Where are you going?"

Link sighed. "Colin, you should be in bed."

"Link, where are you going?"

"You said you wanted me to find Ilia."

"Y-Yeah...Okay." Link smiled and patted his shoulder.

"I'm gonna miss you. Be good, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay. B-Bye."

Link nodded and left quietly.

"So," Midna said, "How do you plan on getting to Lanayru Province?"

"Well, the southern route is closed due to a landslide, and the bridge to the northeast is broken. So," Link said, "that leaves the northern pass."

"Isn't it blocked?"

"The rocks aren't as big as the ones to the south. We could blow them up, or maybe climb."

"Okay. So we need bombs."

"Just in case."

"Well, there's a bomb store not too far from here...how convenient." Midna said, yawning. Link nodded and went inside.

* * *

"That is a Zora child! That is beyond my expertise! Hmmmph!"

Link moved out of the way as the doctor shoved past him.

"Doctor, wait! If something isn't done, this child will..."

Link heartbeat sped up.

 _Ilia._

She's alive. He took a step towards her, and she looked at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She turned around, not recognizing him, and his heart shattered.

She sat on a small box and began to cry.

"Well, this isn't good. A human doctor won't do, huh..." Link turned around and saw a woman. Telma, presumably.

"That old coot reminded me, though... I've heard of a shaman in Kakariko Village, in the Eldin lands, who's tended Gorons _and_ Zoras."

Ilia's head snapped up and she stood, a new hope growing inside her.

"Is that true? Perhaps if we take him there..."

"Inadvisable! Too dangerous!" a Hylian soldier said, stamping his spear on the ground.

"But we can't turn a blind eye to a pretty girl in need, either. Yes, we'd better escort you! Am I right, boys?!"

The group of soldiers nodded their heads, lifted their weapons, and shouted a war cry.

"Well, isn't that nice." Telma said, testing the soldiers.

"To reach Kakariko, we've got to cross two plains that are each infested by dangerous beasts." Their cries died down as she mentioned the beasts.

"But we'll be safe now!"

She turned around to face them. All but one had left, and the one remaining, seeing what had happened, hurriedly left.

"Cowards! Don't EVER show your faces here again!"

"Oh my!" she exclaimed when she saw Link.

"Looks like we've got one young swordsman left!" And, seeing that he didn't leave, but held her gaze, she continued speaking. "And not only that, but it looks like this brave young man will escort us, so get ready to go, honey. Pronto!"

Ilia nodded happily and left. Telma came up to him.

"You know that girl, don't you?" Link nodded ever so slightly.

"It's a real shame... She can't even remember her own name right now." Link looked at her, surprised. So _that's_ why...

"Bless her heart...She found this poor boy collapsed in the road, so she did all she could to save him. More courage in that girl than in all the soldiers of Hyrule, for sure! You lend your strength to her, you hear me?"

Link nodded.

* * *

"So you say the bridge to the west has been destroyed, huh?" Link sat on top of Epona, Telma and Ilia in a cart, along with the Zora boy. Link nodded.

"Yeah."

"Then our only option is to cross the bridge to the east. You see what that means? You'll have to deal with that thing!" Telma said, pointing to King Bulblin, who paced the Bridge of Hylia back and forth.

Link nodded and fingered the Hero's Bow he had on his back. Good thing he had a full quiver...

"Th-Thank you so much for this." Ilia said nervously.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

"Link."

"...Link?! I will never in all my life forget your kindness, Link."

He smiled and nodded at her. She blushed and ducked back into the cart.

"Little lady, I think you'd best save your thanks until we're safe in Kakariko..."

Ilia nodded.

"This swordsman of ours has great eyes, honey. They're proud and wild...like a feral beast."

"We need a beast right now, to keep the true ones at bay. If we make it to Kakariko safely, we'll just thank him then, Ok?"

"Okay."

"You ready to roll, Link? You've got to protect these young ones on the way to Kakariko!"

He nodded, his heartbeat speeding up.

And he set off.

When King Bulblin saw him, recognition and anger flared in his eyes. He charged at him head on, and Link nocked and drew his bow, ready to fire.

Ilia sat in the cart, worry written on her face.

"He's crazy, Telma! He'll get himself killed like that!"

"You never know...He looks a lot more experienced in battle that those stupid, cowardly soldiers."

"Well, yes, but..."

"Ilia, calm down honey. He'll be fine."

Ilia sighed and watched him closely. He had shot the huge beast, and was aiming for the second arrow. He looked...familiar...

"Maybe..."

Link had defeated he beast, and they rode over the bridge. He looked fine.

 _Who is this boy?_

What _is this boy?_

Link had managed to get the keys for the gates, and now he stood in front of the first, unlocking it. He opened the gate, and they rode through. Several Bulblins rode up, two per Bulbo. Link sighed and drew his bow, shooting the beasts. Several arrows whizzed past his head, some cutting into flesh. There was blood pouring down his sword arm. He didn't notice, thought, as he was to focused on the cart.

Ilia.

He threw his boomerang, putting the fire out temporarily.

Ilia.

He shot down the Kargorock, flying dangerously close to the cart.

Ilia.

He put out another fire. Blood was running down his forehead. He didn't care.

Ilia.

Ilia.

Ilia!

* * *

"...He has passed through the worst of it. As long as he rests, he should recover in due time." Renado said as he left the room.

Link nodded.

"Do you know the fate of his mother? Her welfare consumes him. He has been mumbling deliriously about her almost constantly..."

Link opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, his eyes cast downward.

"...I can see the knowledge grieves you. It must be an awful memory."

"It is."

"I'll stay with him until he's better! No matter how long it takes!" Colin said, determined to help.

"Is that so? Thank you, Colin."

"Hey, Link, about Ilia..."

"Y-Yeah?"

"Is it true, what they say about her?"

"Yes, she has lost her memory, Colin, and regaining it will be no simple task." Renado said.

"But it will be all right, child. If we just give her some time, I am certain that Ilia will find her heart again. So, Colin, I'd like to ask you to stay in this village until then. It is our turn to show the courage that you have already displayed."

Colin nodded, and Renado left to the Sanctuary.

"Nice to see there's still hope here. And it's always good to see happy results repay your efforts..." Telma said happily.

"Those skills of yours... Any chance you're of the mind to put them to use for Hyrule?"

" W-What?" Telma sighed.

"What hope there is in our kingdom is frail and dying...but there's still a group trying to do what it can. And I'm a member of that group. Call me Telma." She said, offering her hand. He shook it.

"I may just stay here a bit longer. I'm still worried about Ilia, and... Well, never mind about the rest."

Her eyes were drawn to Renado, and Link nodded.

"Link, I want to see you again at my bar, you hear me? The bar is actually a kind of safe house for my friends. There's a passageway that leads to the castle from in there, as well. If you ever need something, stop by, I'll be waiting for you, honey!"

"O-Okay."

* * *

"There it is! The last Fused Shadow..." Midna said, relived.

"I'll just take that, thanks!"

Link frowned. "Hey, do you know how much I had to go through to get that?"

"Now, don't resent me for all I've put you through. I NEED this thing! Besides, we have to do something about Zant, the one who thinks he is the king of shadows..."

"His power is a false one..." she continued.

"I'll prove it using these!"

"So...I've done everything I needed to. I'm sorry for dragging you all over the place with me...So... Shall we go?"

"Yes. Please."

Midna nodded and opened a portal on the ground. Link stood in the middle, and she warped him to the Spirit's spring. Link sighed and turned to leave. Someone was here. He stumbled backwards, surprised. He looked up.

Was this man...Zant?

Yes.

He had to be.

The light spirit Lanayru rose to protect them, to no success. Zant took the light, and once again, the land was reduced to twilight.

 _How am I supposed to fight_ That _?!_ Link thought, his hopes withering. He was in his beast forme.

"Zant!" Midna said angrily.

He swung his hand at her, and she hung in midair, bound by magic. Then, he took away the shadows that she and Link had found.

"Did you honestly mean to take an ancient and withered power like this and turn it against me? You are a foolish traitor, Midna. Why do you defy your king?"

"My KING? You, who do nothing but abuse the magic of your tribe? You must be joking!"

"How dare you?! Are you implying that my power is...our old magic? Now THAT is a joke!"

He took her and threw her at the ground.

"This power is granted to me by my god! It is the magic of the King of Twilight, and you WILL respect it!" he said, forming a ball of magic like Midna had done to release Link from is chains. Link jumped at him. Zant instead directed the magic towards him, and Link few back, unconscious. Midna crawled to him, trying to ease his pain, tears threatening to fall. The magic ball had formed a shard and embedded itself into his forehead.

Zant drew Midna close, binding her hands behind her.

"My Midna... Did you forget? That beast is one of the light dwellers who oppressed our people." He whispered into her ear. "No matter how much you may desire otherwise, you will never be more than a shadow in their world. You cannot consort with their kind! But if we can make their world ours, Midna...light and darkness will meet at last. Our tribe will take back their realm...and sweet darkness will blot out this harsh light! And that, Midna, is why..."

"I need you."

"Not just for me, but for all of our people... Lend me your power."

She angrily fought him and he let her go.

"So be it... I will return you to the light world you covet!"

He hung her over the spring and gave the light back to the spirit. Midna, coming in direct contact of the light, cried out in pain.

The spirit warped them to Hyrule field, away from Zant. Link looked at himself in surprise, expecting to be human again, but still a wolf.

"Link, hero chosen by the goddesses..."

Lanayru said to him. Midna lay on his back breathing heavily.

"Go to the princess locked away in the castle. That princess holds the key that can unlock you from your shadow forme..."


	13. Chapter 13: The Girl

A black wolf ran through Hyrule Field, a girl on it's back.

Link.

"H-Hurry...to where...Princess Zelda...waits..."

He entered castle town. The gate to the castle was closed, he knew that.

How to get in, how to get in...

 _There's a passageway that leads to the castle from in there..._

Telma.

He turned and ran for her bar. Forgetting that he was a wolf, he walked in, soaking wet from the rain.

"Beast! Get out!"

The Goron grabbed him and threw him out. Midna fell off his back. He crawled over to her and whimpered.

"Link..." she said quietly. He nuzzled her and put her back on him.

"You there!"

He turned around. A cat, Telma's cat, was sitting down. She had called him.

"You're Link, correct?"

"Yes."

"Mmm, yes, I thought so. I could just tell, you know. I'm Louise," she said, swiping her tail against the ground.

"Do you remember meeting me in this shop before? Though I don't think we were properly introduced..."

"In any case, I must tell you, I'm a bit puzzled as to why you look like that. Really, dear, you can't blame the humans for tossing you out, the way you look."

"Huh." She looked at Midna, frail and hurt as she was.

"Oh... Another patient? You certainly are a curious sort..."

"...Plea... Please...Princes...Z-Zelda..."

Louise continued to study her, then, satisfied, swiped her tail again.

"This way! Here, get in through the window. The attic is connected to the castle's waterway. It's an old waterway, though...so it could be a rough trip. Well... I suppose all that's left to do is make sure that the humans don't notice you."

"Thank you." Link said to the cat. He looked up at the window. It was too high to jump to... He looked around, then, seeing a box, moved it under the window. He nodded his thanks to Louise, then jumped inside.

Inside, he could hear the voices of everyone as they echoed around the room. The Mailman, the Goron that had tossed him out, Telma...

* * *

About thirty minutes later, He stood in front of Princess Zelda.

"Please... Please tell me... How do we break...the curse on this one?"

Link looked at her, confused.

"This...is the one... You need him...to save your world! That's why... Princess... Please... You must help Link..."

Zelda nodded and passed her hand over his forehead, the Triforce resonating quietly. Zelda pursed her lips together.

"What binds him is a different magic than what transformed him when he first passed the curtain of twilight. It is an evil power."

"Our world is one of balance..." She said to Link.

"Just as there is light to drive away darkness, so, too, is there benevolence to banish evil. Head for the sacred grove that lies deep within the lands guarded by the spirit Faron. There you will find the blade of evil's bane that was crafted by the wisdom of the ancient sages...the Master Sword." Link nodded.

"The Master Sword is a sacred blade that evil can never touch. Evil cloaks you like a dark veil...and that blade is the only thing that can cleave it. Link... Hero sent by the goddesses...Like you, I have been granted special powers by the goddesses..." she said, showing him her hand. The Triforce still glowed faintly.

"Fine... Link... You can... You can get to the woods...on your own, right? Princess... I have one last request..."

"Yes? "

"Can you tell him...where to find the Mirror of Twilight?"

Zelda looked at her, slightly shocked, then looked down, a tear slipping down her cheek.

"Midna... I believe I understand now just who and what you are...Despite your mortal injuries, you act in our stead...These dark times are the result of our deeds, yet it is you who have reaped the penalty. Accept this now, Midna. I pass it to you..."

She took Midna's hand into her own, and once again, the Triforce resonated, more strongly this time.

"No! Link! STOP HER!" Midna shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks. Zelda smiled and faded away.

Midna, now healed, stood up, wiping way her tears.

"We go back, Link! Back to Faron Woods!"

* * *

Link stepped closer to the blade. It had taken him days to get here. Not o mention the stupid puzzle...

As he neared it, a harsh wind began to blow from the blade. He hesitated, the continued forwards. As he continued, the wind grew stronger. He continued, now struggling to keep his grip. A growl resonated from his chest, and he bare his teeth in determination. Midna closed her eyes. Then everything went white.

"Congratulations, Link."

He opened his eyes. Everything was white. Where was he?

He turned. A woman stood in front of him. A Hylian. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. She came up to him and took him into her arms.

"I'm so proud of you." She was crying.

"M-Mom?" She let him go.

"You've grown so much."

"Mom, I-"

"Hush, now, my son. I only have a short time here. I must leave soon."

"What?"

"Link...the girl. Protect her. She will mean everything to you."

"Who?"

"Goodbye. You need to go back."

"M-Mom-"

"Goodbye, Link. I love you."

"Mom!"

* * *

Link opened his eyes. He stood in the forest again. Midna was behind him. In front of him as the master sword.

Mom...

He smiled slightly and wrapped his hand around the grip. As soon as he touched it, everything came back to him.

The dream.

The spring. He, Ilia and Colin standing in the spring.

The field. Hyrule in twilight.

The wolf. Link.

Ganon.

The couple.

The knight.

The letter.

The baby.

Link clenched his teeth and pulled.

* * *

"Ilia..."

She turned around.

Link.

"Um...h-hi."

"Are you all right?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. I j-just-"

She started shaking when she remembered what had happened the day before. Watching him, the fire...

Blood.

Was he a...monster?

"Just...what? Ilia, you're not alright."

"I just...wanna b-be alone. If that's okay."

"Y-Yeah, okay. Sure. I was just worried."

 _ **He's lying.**_

She screamed and covered her ears.

Who had said that?

Link knelt down next to her.

"Ilia, you're not alright."

"And why would you care?!" she said angrily. She looked down shamefully when she saw the hurt look on his face.

"Link, I-" she said, looking up slightly.

 _ **Don't apologize. You were right.**_

She looked down again and covered her ears. Still shaking, she tried to ignore the voice in her head.

 _ **Don't listen to him, Ilia.**_

 _Who are you?_

 _ **Don't listen to him. He doesn't care.**_

Link sighed

"Ilia, if I did anything wrong, please forgive me."

 _ **Don't.**_

"Just go away!" she shouted.

Link winced, then sighed and left.

 _Who are you?_

No answer,

 _Who are you?!_

No answer.

She sighed and cradled her head. What was wrong with her? She had just shouted at the boy who had risked his neck to help her.

 _ **Don't feel bad. He deserved it.**_

 _Who_ are _you?!_

A laugh, then the voice left. She shuddered and went inside.

* * *

Link smiled as he watched the two yetis embrace. And, once again, he got this feeling, this desire for...something.

" _Link...the girl. Protect her. She will mean everything to you."_

His mother's words rang clearly through his mind.

Could the girl be Midna?

Or Zelda?

Or...Ilia?

He shook is head and pushed the thought away.

"I'll get you out of here. You're sure there's nothing else you need to do, right?"

Link nodded and they quietly left.

"Well, now we have two mirror shards..."

"Two more..." Link said, sighing.

Midna nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, anyways..." Link shivered. "Hey, could you take me to Kakariko?"

"Why Kakariko?"

"Because it's warmer than here."

She sighed. "Alright, fine."

Midna gently pressed the shard against his cool skin, and he reverted to wolf forme. She then opened the portal, and they left.

* * *

Link stood in Eldin Spring, the cool breeze to blow through his long, messy hair. Epona stood nearby. He could hear her.

Ilia.

She was standing next to the mare, quietly feeding her a snack.

An apple, or a carrot.

Most likely a carrot.

Link didn't dare turn around, for fear of scaring Ilia away. She had been acting strange, recently.

Quivering in fear and becoming extremely protective, as if he might hurt or rape her.

It confused him. What had he done to cause her to act like that?

He sighed and turned around.

Her eyes widened in fear when she noticed him. She seemed to be paralyzed. Link looked at her, loneliness reflected in his eyes, and he turned away and left.

Ilia.

* * *

She looked at him as he walked away.

He could have hurt her. But he didn't.

She had seen something in his eyes. Loneliness.

Was something wrong?

 _ **Yes, Ilia. He is lonely. He is a monster, and he will hurt you and he will try to kill you. Do you understand?**_

 _Yes._

She didn't. She had gotten used to this voice in her head, manipulating her. Yes, she knew.

She knew and she hated it.

Whoever this voice was, _whatever_ it was, she knew it must be causing him immense pain.

And it was using her.

And she hated it.

Would he really kill her?

Would her rape her and hurt her, as the voice had told her?

Or was it lying to her?

Was Link a kind soul?

He _must_ be, or else he wouldn't have helped her.

Or maybe he wasn't.

Maybe he had a different reason.

Maybe it was he Zora boy.

Maybe it was for prince Ralis.

Was that his name?

 _ **He is a monster, Ilia. Never forget that.**_

Was he?


	14. Chapter 14: Zant

Link sighed. He was at Telma's bar.

"Somethin' wrong, m'boy?" Rusl asked him.

"Nah, just..."

"...Ilia?"

Link sighed and nodded.

"Hmm..."

"Ya know what?"

"What?"

"When you started playing piano and Ilia started playing violin again, I noticed something."

"What?"

"The two of you...You and Ilia...you became extremely close. Closer that you used to be."

"O-Okay. Why are you telling me this?"

"Uli described music as a second voice. I asked her what she meant by that."

"What did she say?"

"She said that, in a way, music kinda tells others around you what's in your heart."

"Huh."

"Did that make sense to you?"

"Yeah."

"And Link..."

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind if I went with you to Kakariko? I want to see Colin and the others."

"Of course you can."

* * *

Ilia watched him.

He was sitting at the table, drawing. Every once in a while, he would look up at her.

She was confused.

The voice in her head told her that he would hurt her, but he had not once even tried to.

Maybe it was wrong.

 _ **Ilia.**_

 _What?_

 _ **He's testing you. He's trying to trick you. It's working, and he knows.**_

 _Can't I just talk to him?_

 _ **Why?**_

 _He seems...empty. He's in pain._

 _ **He's not. He wants you to talk to him, so he can hurt you. Don't talk to him.**_

She sighed, and he looked up at her.

"Yeah?"

She breathed in and opened her mouth.

"R-Rusl said that-"

She was shaking. He took her hands. They were cold. She blushed.

"Yeah?"

"Rusl said you play piano."

He nodded. "I do."

 _ **Ilia.**_

 _What?_

 _ **Don't.**_

 _But he's-_

"W-Why?"

He paused. "Well...I guess,"

She looked at him, growing less nervous.

"Uli, Colin's mother, taught me. I kinda wanted to, at first just for fun, but now-"

He paused.

"Now what?"

"I-It helps. With pain."

Ilia nodded. Link handed her the picture. She looked at it, surprised that he could draw so...well.

 _That can't be me. I'm not that pretty._

"I...um...Thank you."

He nodded.

"C-Could you, um..."

"Yeah?"

"C-Could you play something for me?"

Link smile and nodded.

It was a waltz, a simple one. But the way he played it...it sounded like a conversation.

Her hands itched to play with him.

 _ **He's a monster, Ilia.**_

 _No he's not._

 _ **Ilia, don't be a fool. You know he is.**_

 _No, he's_ not.

 _ **How dare you-**_

 _You don't control me. I don't like what you're doing, manipulating me and causing him this pain. He doesn't deserve it. He's a good person at heart, and you're destroying him. Leave me alone. Leave_ us _alone._

 _ **Ilia-**_

 _Stop. Now._

 _ **Il-**_

 _I said stop._

And the voice went away.

She smiled lightly and sat on the bench next to him.  
He smiled.

She looked at him, his face calm and...happy.

She wanted to remember his smile.

"Link..." she whispered quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Link smiled and kissed her cheek. She blushed and leaned against his shoulder and fell asleep.

* * *

Link ran.

He ran as fast as he could.

Ilia.

He carried something. The key to her memory.

Ilia.

He ran into Kakariko, the charm in his hand.

Ilia.

He ran through the door to the Sanctuary.

Ilia.

She came up to him.

"Link."

He smiled.

"Link...is the lady all right?"

He nodded.

"Yes, Impaz is fine. But-"

She nodded.

"Thank you."

He nodded and held up the charm. She gasped and looked up at him, then back at the charm.

"I... I knew you once...Yes... This feels so familiar... The scent of hay...Long ago... When we were young, you and I...You were always there... You were always beside me..." She looked up at him and smiled.

"Link."

He smiled and Renado and the Gorons left.

"This gift was meant for you. It was something I wanted to give you before you left on your journey. Please, Link, take it. "

"Ilia-"

She pressed her finger to his lips.

"You don't need to worry about me any longer. Whenever you return... I'll be waiting for you."

He smiled and nodded. She kissed him on the cheek, then buried her face into his chest, smiling.

* * *

Link tried to hang on.

The beast, an Argorock, thrashed around from the pain.

Link's grip was loosening.

He slipped and his back hit the cold, hard ground.

He was in the City in the Sky, the mythical Home of the Oocca.

And he was fighting the monster.

A Dragon.

Link groaned and stood up.

He once again climbed the pillars and grabbed its back.

He stabbed it.

And it died.

Link was breathing hard.

The last mirror shard.

Finally.

"Link, you did it! It's the fourth shard!" Midna said happily.

"Now we have them all!"

He nodded.

"Yeah."

"Hey...Link."

"Hm?"

"The words of the sages... Do you remember them? Only the true ruler of the Twili can destroy the Mirror of Twilight. Zant could only break the Mirror of Twilight into shards... He couldn't utterly shatter it. That's proof of his false kingship. Link, we have to hurry! To the Mirror Chamber! After all, a fake is a fake...and no matter how much you dress it up, the real thing always wins!"

Link smiled. "Yeah."

"I'll get you out of here. You're sure there's nothing else you need to do, right?"

"Nope."

"Alright."

And they left.

* * *

"Link! Oh, Link, what happened?!"

"I-I got in a fight."

They were in Kakariko, and Ilia was freaking out.

"Against _what_ , exactly? A Dragon?"

"Yeah."

Ilia sighed and mumbled something about his carelessness as she brought him inside

"What?"

"Just...just c'mon, dummy."

Link shook his head and smiled as she led him to the Inn.

He had her back.

Ilia.

* * *

"Some call our realm a world of shadows, but that makes it sound unpleasant...The twilight there holds a serene beauty... You have seen it yourself as the sun sets on this world. Bathed in that light, all people were pure and gentle...But things changed once that foul power pervaded the world..." Midna said.

They were at the Mirror Chamber.

Link nodded.

"It was all our doing..."

They turned around to see the sages, encircled around them.

"We overestimated our abilities as sages and attempted to put an end to Ganondorf's evil magic...I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive our carelessness...O Twilight Princess."

Link looked at Midna in surprise. Princess?!

"What? So...you knew?" Midna said, shocked.

The sages nodded, and bowed their heads in forgiveness.

"As a ruler who fled her people, I'm hardly qualified to forgive you. In our world, we've long believed that the Hero would appear as a divine beast," she said, turning to Link. "That's why when I found you, I thought I could use you, Link. And I only cared about returning our world to normal...I didn't care what happened to the world of light, not at all. But after witnessing the selfless lengths that Princess Zelda and you have gone to... Your sacrifices...I now know, in the bottom of my heart, that I must save this world, too. There is no other way. If we can just defeat Zant, the curse on me will dissolve, and we may be able to revive Zelda. Let's go, Link! For Zelda! For all of this world!"

Link nodded and walked up to the platform.

They left for Twilight.

For Hyrule.

* * *

"Zant."

Midna's voice reeked of hatred, directed towards the man sitting on the throne.

"Isn't this ironic? Here we are, all thanks to the dark magic curse you placed on Link!"

Zant laughed.

"You speak of magic? Still your tongue for a moment, whelp, and I will tell you of both magic and the oppression of ages," he said, standing up.

"The people of our tribe...a tribe that mastered the arts of magic...were locked away in this world like insects in a cage."He removed his mask.

"In the shadows we regressed, so much so that we soon knew neither anger nor hatred...nor even the faintest bloom of desire. And all of it was the fault of a useless, do-nothing royal family that had resigned itself to this miserable half-existence!"

As he spoke, he raised his arms and twisted his back to face them. Then he twisted back and stamped his feet on the ground.

"I had served and endured in that depraved household for far too long, my impudent princess." He came up close to them.

"And why, you ask? Because I believed I would be the next to rule our people! THAT is why!"

As he spoke, he spun around and danced around them.

"But would they acknowledge me as their king? No! And as such, I was denied the magic powers befitting our ruler. It was then, in the thrall of hatred and despair, that I turned my eyes to the heavens...and found a god had only one wish..." He said, teleporting behind them.

"To merge shadow and light...and make darkness!"

Them he attacked.

* * *

Link had defeated Zant, and the Fused Shadows had been returned to Midna.

"Y-You...TRAITORS!"

Zant once again sat on the throne, struggling for breath.

"Traitors, ha! You want to know why none would call you king? It was your eyes, Zant. All saw it, a lust for power burning in your pupils... Did you think we'd forget our ancestors lost their king to such greed?" Midna shouted at him angrily.

"Midna... Foolish Twilight Princess... The curse on you cannot be broken...It was placed on you by the magic of my god! The power you held as leader of the Twili will never return! Already he has descended and been reborn in this world...As long as my master, Ganon, survives, he will resurrect me without cease!"

Midna, angrier now by what he had said, stabbed him with her newly acquired magic. Zant's body inflated like a balloon, and he exploded.

"I... I used just a fraction of the power that's in me now...I did THAT using only a fraction of my ancestor's magic?!" Midna said, horrified. She stood there, stunned, then turned back to Link.

"Link! Now is the time! We must save Zelda! The evil power Zant was wielding... I couldn't take it from him. But at least I still have the magic of my ancestors...With it, I can return the cherished power Zelda bestowed upon me...Now! Let's go! Princess Zelda is waiting!"


	15. Chapter 15: Finally over

The sound of swords clashing echoed across the field.

Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule, watched the battle before her, worry etched onto her pretty face.

He was strong.

Stronger than Link had thought.

Stronger than...anything, really.

"Give up, boy. It's no use, and you know that."

He tilted his head at him and smiled wearily.

"Don't think so."

Link jumped out of the way as Ganon's sword swung mere inches from his face. He bit back a curse as it nicked his shoulder.

This was gonna be hard.

Not to mention dangerous.

* * *

 _Link..._

Ilia sat up and sighed. What was wrong with her?

She stood up and went downstairs, despite the fact that her head hurt immensely. Renado had given her some red sage to help with the pain and sent her to bed early.

She didn't want to sleep.

Something was wrong.

 _Link..._

She shook her head.

 _Stop it, Ilia. You're not in love with him._

She sighed.

He had given her a book.

A simple, leather-bound book. The pages were falling out. They looked like he had ripped them out, considering the rough edge of the parchment.

She hadn't looked at it yet.

"Ilia."

She turned around. "Oh. Hello, Renado."

"Ilia, you should be in bed asleep."

"I-I just wanted to get something."

"Get what?"

"A book."

Renado nodded.

"Just please, at least try to get some sleep tonight. Alright?"

"Yes, Renado."

She grabbed the tattered book from the shelf and went upstairs.

It was a sketchbook.

A picture of an imp was on the first page. Midna, it read on the bottom corner.

She carefully turned the page.

Ilia.

Diababa.

Ilia.

Fyrus.

Gor Coron, Gor Amoto, Gor Ebizo and Gor Liggs.

Morpheel.

Ilia.

Zant.

Princess Zelda.

Ilia.

Stallord.

Yeta and Yeto.

Blizzeta.

Ilia.

Armogohma. She shivered. Spider.

The Hero's Shade.

Ilia.

Midna.

Ilia.

* * *

Link gasped in pain as Ganon's sword cut through flesh. Zelda was sitting on the ground, whimpering.

"Are you done, boy?" Ganon growled. He was such a nuisance to him.

Link smiled weakly, blood running down his chin, and stood once again. The offer was tempting.

 _Link...the girl. Protect her._

He smiled again.

 _Protect her…_

Alright, mom. I will.

 _Ilia…_

Ganon, becoming rather annoyed, struck at him. Link dodged nimbly away and smiled.

 _Thank you, Mom._

Link, now switching to offensive, slashed repeatedly at him. Ganon parried most of them, small cuts forming on his arm. He smirked.

"You fight like your ancestor."

"And I'm proud of that."

Their blades locked once again. Link, despite his injuries, overpowered him, and Ganon was thrown to the ground. Link jumped up and stabbed the dark lord in the chest. He let go of his sword, knowing that not even Ganon could survive the blow.

Ganon stumbled as he stood.

"Do not think this ends here..." he said, breathing heavily.

"The history of light and shadow will be written in blood!"

He flexed his hand, the Triforce of Power fading.

And thus Ganondorf, the Great Bandit King of Evil, was killed.

"Link!"

He turned around, exhaustion washing over him.

Ilia.

And then everything went black.

* * *

Ilia closed the book, but she dropped it. She picked it up. It had opened to the last page.

On that page was a pictograph.

They had taken it for Link's sixteenth birthday.

He was standing behind her, his chin rested on her shoulder and his arms around her waist. They were smiling.

She smiled softly, remembering, well...memories.

Most, if not all, were of her and Link

 _Go find him. He needs you._

Ilia looked around, confused.

 _Ilia...go now. Go to the northern field._

Mother?

 _Go…_

Ilia, still confused, stood and left.

The sun was setting. She ran to the field. The wind carried the scent of blood.

 _Blood._

Her pace quickened.

Was he hurt?

Where was he?

She kept running. He was standing there, breathing hard. His tunic was red with blood.

"Link!"

He turned.

And fell.

She ran to him. The Princess was watching her, confused.

 _The Princess._

"Link! Oh, Link, no..." she said, frantically searching for a pulse. She found one, much to her relief. It was there, although faint. He was losing a lot of blood.

Someone touched her shoulder. Ilia jumped.

"Where did you come from?" Zelda asked.

Ilia turned to her.

"K-Kakariko. Your highness."

"Please. Call me Zelda. Now, I heard that there is a shaman there. Perhaps we could take him there?"

Ilia nodded. "Yes, Renado. But, um..."

"Yes?"

"How will we get him there?"

"I'll take him." a new voice said.

Ilia turned. She was a tall woman, with orange-red hair and red eyes. Her had blue marking on it.

"I'm Midna."

Ilia nodded. What was going on?

"Alright, Midna. Let's take these two to Kakariko."

She nodded to Zelda and spoke a few words.

The the world turned white, and they were in the Eldin Spring.

Ilia looked around, surprised. Renado came to them, with Talo and Colin close behind.

"Ilia! What happened?"

"Is he hurt bad?"

"Will he live?"

"Who are those people?"

Ilia held up her hand.

"Talo, Colin. I want you to listen to Renado, and _please. Please_ try to be quiet."

They nodded, and Renado carried Link inside.


	16. Chapter 16: The History of Hyrule

Ilia sighed. Link had been asleep all day. He had woken up a few hours after they brought him to Kakariko, but only for a few minutes, long enough to barely eat a meal.  
He was pale.

Even Renado didn't know if he was going to live.

 _He has to,_ Ilia thought. _If he doesn't, I'll wake him up from the dead and kill him again._

She clenched her hands together.

"I-Ilia..."

Her head snapped up.

"Link! Oh, Link, you're awake."

He smiled weakly, then sat up and cupped her cheek. She blushed, then noticed his hand. It was wrapped in bandages.

 _Why is he covering his birthmark?_

"Um, Link…"

"Why are you crying?"

Ilia looked at him, surprised. She was crying? Her hand went up to her cheek. It was wet.

"Link..."

He put his hand down. "Yeah?"

"I-I was just worried. And you're finally awake. Are you hungry?"

Link smiled weakly and laid down again.

"Not really."

Ilia nodded. "Well, at least drink something."

He nodded and sat up again.

"Oh, and Renado sent a letter to your dad. They'll be here in a few days. Okay?"

He nodded again and she handed him a cup of water.

"Well," she said, "You should probably get some more rest. Renado said your collarbone is broken."

He nodded again and lay down after he drained the cup.

"And Ilia..."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For being the idiot I am."

"Don't talk like that. Now, get some rest."

She pecked his cheek and he fell asleep again.

* * *

"Ilia! Goodness, you've grown!"

Ilia smiled and hugged Maeri.

"Hello, Maeri. It's nice to see you. You too, Ava," she added, ruffling the little girl's hair. She held out her tiny hand.

"Hi Ila." the little five-year-old said, smiling.

"Hi, Ava." Ilia said, tickling her chin.

"Where ith Link?"

"Link is at the inn." She held up her finger. "You have to be quiet, though."

"Okay." Ava whispered. Ilia smiled.

"Ilia, how is he doing? We've been worried sick about him all the way here."

"Well, he's doing a bit better than when he came in. He broke his collarbone, arm and several ribs, not to mention the cuts all over his body."

"Can we see him now?'"

"Yes, but like I said, you have to be quiet."

"Alright. Rowan-"

"I heard."

Ilia nodded and led them to the inn.

"Oh, and Ilia. Your father told me to give this to you." Rowan said, handing her a navy blue case. Ilia smiled and nodded her thanks to him.

Ava bounced as she followed her parents to the inn, and Ilia laughed.

Ava gasped and smiled when she saw her brother.

"Link!"

He smiled weakly.

"Hi, Ava. You look happy."

"Yeah!"

He smiled again and Ilia helped him sit up. Rowan watched, clearly worried about his son.

"Hey, Dad."

"They said you were hurt, but I didn't expect _this._ What happened?"

"I-I got in a fight."

"With whom?"

"A strong guy."

"Obviously. You lost, I take it?" he said, gesturing to his arm.

"No, he didn't. He won, but that came at a price, as you can see." a new voice said. They turned around. Ilia smiled.

"Zelda! Hello."

She smiled and nodded to her.

"And who might these fine people be?"

"Oh. This is Rowan and Maeri, Link's Father and Stepmother. And this," she said, ruffling Ava's hair, "is his younger sister, Ava."

"I'm fo!"

"No, you're five." Link said, smiling.

Zelda smiled.

"Well, it is certainly nice to meet you. Ilia already told you, but I am Zelda of Hyrule."

Maeri opened her mouth to speak, but Link cut her off. "Yes, Maeri. Princess Zelda."

Ilia sat next to him. "So, Link. You never did tell me, but how did you come to meet _two_ princesses in what was supposed to be a delivery of a gift?"

He sighed. Rowan looked at him, surprised.

"Two?"

"Yes, two. Zelda, would you like to explain? Midna can fill you in." She nodded.

"The story starts thousands of years ago, when this world was first created. The Three placed with mankind the Triforce to keep the peace with one another and remind them of the great blessing of Life that they were given. For thousands of years, the people were at peace with one another. Until they learned of the power that the Triforce held. The people became a greedy, bloodthirsty people, fighting wars over this power. From this people arose three great sorcerers. They used their magic to claim the Triforce for themselves. The Three goddesses overthrew them and sealed them away in a realm know as the Realm of Twilight. Peace once again came over the land, even if only temporary. These three great sorcerers, using their magic, created many beasts that would do their will. The greatest of these beasts was know as Demise. The goddesses then gathered all of the remaining Hylians and put them in a great City in the Sky, also known as Skyloft. As legend goes, Hylia, the great goddess herself, disguised herself as a young girl named Zelda. My ancestor. Zelda was kidnapped by Demise and brought to the Surface. A young man, clad in green, traveled through the land and eventually defeated Demise, restoring peace once again. With the Surface cleansed, the people in Skyloft came down to live on the surface with the couple. Once again, there was peace in Hyrule, as the land was named."

"Have you heard of the Gerudo? They lived in the desert east of here. Around the time Demise was defeated, this race was born. They were special; only one male was born every 100 years. Well, there was one of these Gerudo men. His name was Ganon. He was a good king over the people. Eventually, the people came to trust him so much that they would do anything that he bade them do. The three sorcerers, once again, saw this as an opportunity. The slowly found a way into his heart, twisting and corrupting it. They gave him evil, twisted desires. After many years, he conquered Hyrule. Once again, the boy clad in green came and overthrew Ganon's evil rule. He, too, was banished to the Realm of Twilight. Hundreds of years passed. Ganon died of old age, but his spirit still lingered in that realm. The sorcerers also died, their descendants know as the Twili."

"They were a kind, cheerful people, unlike there ancestors."

They turned around to see a tall woman with orange hair step from the shadows. Link smiled.

"Midna."

"Hello."

"Would you like to tell your part of the story?" Zelda asked her.

Midna nodded.

"As I said, the Twili lived in peace for thousands of years. Every few decades or so, one from the world of Light would be sent to us by means of the Mirror of Twilight, the only know means of travel between the two realms. We welcomed them and taught them the ways of life. Because they were from the Light and we from Twilight, we could not mix with them. Instead, the formed their own community, separate from ours."

"Now, I must tell you. If one is to have a kingdom, one needs a king to rule. The Twili appointed a king, my father, to rule over them. He was a good king. And, as you may know, every king has advisers. One of his advisers was named Zant. Under some circumstance, some think attempted assassination, he was stripped of his rights and duties as a King's Adviser. He left, bawling like a baby. Ganon saw him as naive, a puppet for him to gain his rule again. He granted him power to overthrow my father, promising him that he would make him king if he did as he instructed. He accepted, and when he gained that power, he killed my father." Her hands were clenched on her lap as she spoke.

"With the death of my father, I was to be made Queen of the Twili. On the night of the coronation, he cursed me, taking away the magic that had been given to me at birth. I fled, not being able to stand against him, and came to this world."

"Ganon's plan was to take the light that the Spirits held to reduce this land to an everlasting Twilight." Link said, continuing where she left off.

"Once that was completed, Hyrule would be in a weakened state, and as such, he would be able to conquer it once again. He had already taken the light of Faron, Eldin and Lanayru when I was brought in. Ilia, you remember. You were upset at me because Epona had scraped her leg. You took her to the spring and wouldn't let me in," he said, smiling. Ilia blushed.

"After you apologized, the Bulblins came."

"One clad in armor, larger than the rest. Colin was knocked out and I was shot in the leg."

"I was hit in the neck and I blacked out. When I woke, you and Colin were gone. I went to find you but instead found a wall at the border of the Faron Province. I stood there, confused, when a black had reached out, grabbed my neck, and pulled me into the Twilight."

"You turned into a wolf." Zelda said.

Link nodded. She turned to his father and the children that now crowded into the room.

"Link's job was to gather the ancient magic that the Three Sorcerers used to match the power of the King of Shadows, Zant. After he had finished, however, Zant took it from him, leaving him as a wolf and Midna dying. After he had regained his true form, he set out to search for the Mirror of Twilight. When they did find it, it had been split into four pieces, three hidden across Hyrule."

"It took over _two_ _months_ to find the first one. And the others took three." Midna said, annoyed.

"Not to mention the beasts the fragments were hidden in." Link added. Ilia looked at him, then stood and left the room. She came back in with his sketchbook and handed it to him.

"Are they in here?"

"Yes." he said, showing them the beasts. Ava whimpered when she saw the Armogohma. Talo stared at the drawings, especially the Argorock. He pointed to it.

"That one's my favorite."

"I like that one," Beth said, pointing to the Blizzeta.

"The first one's kinda cool," Colin said quietly.

Link smiled.

"So, Link," Rowan said, "Who were you fighting?"

Zelda turned to him. "By the time Zant was slain, Ganon had been resurrected. Link's final trial was to slay him and restore peace to Hyrule."

"Considering the fact that he managed to come back to life again, I wouldn't be surprised if he was back in another two centuries." Link said.

"Yes...I doubt the peace that is in the land now will be more than a century." Zelda said.

* * *

 **This was my take on the history of Hyrule. Hope you like it! I've never played Ocarina of Time or Skyward sword before, if you haven't guessed already. Oh, and I'm using the Wii version for the map. The desert is to the west for the Gamecube version, right?  
**


	17. Chapter 17: Love?

Ilia opened the case that Rowan had given her the several months before. She pulled out the violin and began tuning it. Ava watched, fascinated.

"I like that. Can you play it? The one that Link likes?"

Ilia smiled and nodded to the little girl as she began to play the simple melody.

Link came over to her and pecked her cheek as she played. Ava giggled.

He was walking around quite a bit, despite her threats. She was only worried.

He had told her a few days before that he, Midna and Zelda were going to be gone for a few days. She knew why.

She was still worried.

"Liiiiink." Ava said, grabbing his hand as Ilia finished playing.

"Yeeeeeees?"

She giggled, then continued.

"Do you like her?"

"Who?"

She tugged on his hand and beckoned him close, smiling. She stood up on her toes as he bent down.

"Ilia." she whispered loudly into his ear, then pulled away and giggled again. Ilia smiled and shook her head. Link looked at her, horrified.

"Ilia?!"

Ava nodded, smiling.

He looked at her, then bent down to look Ava in the eye.

"But she's always shouting at me and punching me. She even makes me go to bed early!"

"Yeah, but you kissed her!"

Ilia laughed. "Ava, Link kisses you all the time, right?"

Ava screamed and laughed as her brother grabbed her and pecked her cheek.

"Yeah, but I'm his sister!"

"I'm his friend."

She crossed her arms and scowled. "But he doesn't kiss Zelda or Midna!"

Link laughed. "Ava, if I even tried on either, they would hurt me."

"But Ilia hits you!"

Ilia laughed again and pecked his cheek. He smiled and she slapped him playfully.

* * *

Ilia sighed.

It was dark out.

She was at the Eldin spring. Link had left a few days ago.

She was lonely.

She looked up at the sky. A full moon.

 _He should be back soon..._

She sighed again.

A wolf howled faintly.

Something touched her arm

She looked down, startled, then inhaled slightly.

A tiny little animal had bumped her.

Its fur was a creamy white, and it had a bushy tail about as long as its six-inch body. The ears were long, and it had big green eyes. Around each paw and the tip of the tail was a brown ring.

It was hurt.

And wet.

It rubbed against her leg.

She picked it up and carried it inside.

* * *

Ilia leaned her head against the canvas as she petted the small beast. A lairyn.

Rowan had dubbed her Claws (can you guess why?), but she called her Sable.

They were going back to Ordon. Link would meet them there.

Rowan had agreed to drive them back in Renado's stead. Ilia was happy to go home, but part of her wanted to stay in Kakariko.

Maybe because she had been there for the last year.

Maybe because of the feeling she had when Link had brought her memories back.

Was it love?

She'd never felt love outside of her family before.

Had she?

She'd never acknowledged it.

Maybe...

Did he love her?

 _No, Ilia. Why would he? He has two princesses._

Two.

Two women far prettier than she could ever hope to be.

Why would he love her?

He had his own life. He didn't need her anymore.

 _Didn't need her anymore..._

She sighed again, not noticing her tears as she fell asleep.

* * *

Link replaced his bow on his back as he watched the bird beast fall from the sky. Zelda watched, not surprised.

They were heading back from Arbiter's Grounds, the former resting place of the Mirror of Twilight.

Former, due to the fact that Midna had destroyed the Mirror at her departure.

Link tapped his heels on Epona's side, spurring her forwards to catch up to Zelda, on her horse Blitzen.

"If you keep on stopping, it'll take days to get back." Zelda said coolly.

"I know."

"Then why do you keep stopping?"

"Because this could possibly be the last time I'll ever come to this desert."

"Oh? And why would that be?"

Link paused as his cheeks flushed. Zelda noticed this and became curious.

"Are you thirsty?"

"No, I-I'm fine."

She cocked her head and smiled.

"Are you thinking about her?"

"Who?" Link asked, slightly disturbed by her sudden interest.

"You know who."

Link once again fell silent.

"Oh, come on, Link. I know you like her."

"Like who?"

"Ilia."

Link jumped.

"I-Ilia?!"

Zelda stifled her laughter as she watched his ears and cheeks turn bright red.

"W-Why would I like her?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Uh..."

She sighed. "Link, you spend practically all your time with her. You love to talk to her. You turned bright red just now! Not just that, but you prefer her company over everyone else's."

"So? She's my friend."

"Did you not hear the third thing on that list? _You turned bright red just now?_ That was when I was asking you if you were in _looove_ with her."

Link sighed and topped talking. Zelda smiled, knowing that she was victorious.

* * *

Because Hyrule Castle spontaneously combusted when Link was fighting Ganon, Zelda decided to stay at Kakariko.

She and Shad were becoming very close.

Link was once again riding on Epona, only they weren't in Gerudo Desert and their pace was faster than before.

Home.

He was going home.

Back to Ordon and its inhabitants.

To Ilia.

 _Ilia...I'm comin' back..._


	18. Chapter 18: Finally Home

The birds twittered merrily as the sun rose. Its golden rays shone through the window and on her eyes.

Ilia's eyes flickered open as she woke and she sat up and yawned. Sable licked her face, happy to see her human awake.

 _'Feed me...'_ Sable said. Lairyns had a well-known telepathic ability. She had started speaking to her not long ago.

Ilia smiled

She got up and put Sable's food in a bowl, then put it on the floor for her to eat. She then washed and dressed in her normal clothes.

Sh was in Ordon.

They had arrived the day before. Her father had been overjoyed to see his daughter safe.

Link wasn't home yet.

He sent a letter in advance, saying that he should be home by noon that day.

Ilia smiled. He'd been gone for a week, a bit longer than expected, but he was almost home.

Link.

Her heartbeat sped up and red tinged her cheeks at the thought of him.

She had to admit, she thought he was handsome.

And funny.

And nice.

 _Admit it, You're in love with him._

She shook her head, trying to get Sable's voice out of her head..

Link was a friend.

Link was _her_ friend.

And only her friend. Nothing more.

Sable rubbed her body against Ilia's leg and plopped herself down on her foot.

 _'You're so stubborn, ya know?'_

 _I know._

* * *

Link rode into the woods, greeting the oil salesman Coro as he rode past.

 _It's been too long..._

He smiled at the thought of seeing the villagers again.

 _A whole year..._

Ilia was most likely at the spring, so that was where he would go first. He was surprised when she wasn't there.

Slightly confused, he rode off to the Main Village to see the rest of the people.

Colin was the first to greet him.

Then Talo.

Beth.

Uli and her daughter.

Rusl.

Mayor Bo.

Fado.

Hanch.

Sera.

Pergie.

Jaggle.

Not Ilia.

 _Where is she?_

Still slightly confused, yet glad to be back, he greeted the happy villagers one by one.

Talo jabbed him in the stomach.

"Ow! Talo..."

He laughed manically and ran away. Link smiled and shook his head.

* * *

Ilia dipped her feet into the cool water of the stream. She sighed.

He was back.

She wanted him to find her himself.

She looked up, watching the leaves of the willow tree dance in the wind.

Sable nudged her hand.

 _'He's back, you know.'_

 _I know._

 _'He misses you.'_

 _Huh._

 _'Are you going to say hi, or what?'_

 _Not yet._

Sable huffed and climbed up on top of Ilia's head. She settled down and fell asleep.

She smiled and gently lifted her off.

 _You'll fall._

 _'No I won't.'_

She nipped gently at her hand. Ilia gently flicked her ear. Sable growled quietly and fell asleep.

Ilia sighed and leaned her head against the trunk. Sable pricked her ears up.

 _Something wrong, girl?_

 _'He's coming.'_

Ilia turned around just as Link entered the small grove of trees.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself. Why are you here?"

"Why do you think?"

He chuckled and shook his head.

"I should've guessed earlier. Normally you're at the spring ya know."

"I know."

Sable climbed up the tree and jumped onto his shoulder. Ilia laughed at the tiny lairyn.

"Hey, little guy."

"Sable's a girl." Ilia said, smiling.

"Hey, gal."

She licked his cheek. He smiled and sat down next to Ilia and pecked her cheek. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I missed you."

He smiled.

"Well, that's good."

She poked his arm.

"It was really quiet when you were gone."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

He smiled and sighed.

"Hey..."

"Yeah?"

"Remember the dream I told you about a few years back?"

"Yeah..."

"I've been getting it again recently."

"Oh."

She sighed and kissed his cheek lightly. He smiled, and they fell asleep.


	19. Chapter 19: Love or Leave?

It's been a year since Link returned.

You'd think that after spending a year using sharp objects (such as the knife in Link's hand), he would be able to manage them better.

This was not the case. Not at all.

Link stuck his bleeding thumb in his mouth.

Rusl laughed.

"You cut yourself?"

"So?"

"You, of all people?!"

Link glared at him as continued carving.

"How's Andi doing?" he asked finally.

"The same. Quiet and energetic at the same time. She's only two!"

Link laughed.

"That sounds like me when I was a baby."

As they talked, Link's eyes drifted over to Ilia's bedroom window.

She was playing on her violin.

He could hear her playing.

 _Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso._

Her favorite piece.

She saw him staring at her.

She stumbled slightly and closed the curtains, blushing furiously.

Link smiled and shook his head.

She became unusually nervous around him.

Just like the way they used to be.

" _C'mon, the pond froze over, and it looks thick enough to skate on. Let's go!"_

 _She dragged him by the arm, Link stumbling behind her, smiling to himself._

" _You know, Ilia, it's really cute when you act like that."_

 _He smiled at her, and she slapped him, her face turning bright red as she spoke._

" _S-Shut up!"_

 _He laughed and took her hand as he led her to the pond._

" _You wanted to go skating, didn't you?"_

Link smiled.

"I think she likes you." Rusl said, noticing the exchange.

"You're eighteen, almost nineteen." he continued.

"So?"

"Sixteen's considered old enough for marriage. She's seventeen. She's also fourteen months younger than you."

Link turned red.

"W-What? I mean, I already know that, but..." he said, searching for the right words.

"You like her." Rusl stated matter-of-factly.

"I-I mean, well..."

"Tell her."

Link was silent.

"Do you love her?"

"Yeah..."

* * *

Ilia closed the curtains quickly, feeling herself blush.

What was wrong with her?

He was Link.

Her friend.

Her _best_ friend.

She didn't want to be in love with him.

She sighed and put her violin away.

She had to admit, he _was_ kinda cute.

But not the kinda cute that she would fall in love over.

Maybe.

No.

Not him.

She sighed. Why was life so complicated?

She didn't want these feelings.

 _'So you_ do _like him, hm?'_ Sable asked her.

Ilia blushed and turned away.

 _I-I guess._

She sighed again and stood to leave. Sable jumped onto her shoulder.

 _'You're leaving?'_

 _Yeah._

 _'I'm hungry.'_

Ilia sighed.

 _You're always hungry._

 _'Either tell him you're in love, or feed me.'_

She laughed and got out some food for the lairyn.

* * *

"Mr. Link! HEY!"

Link turned around to see the Mailman running up to him. He smiled and held up his hand in greeting.

"Greetings, Mr. Link!"

"Hey."

"I have a latter from you. From Princess Zelda."

Link raised his eyebrows and took the letter.

It was indeed from the Princess Zelda.

"Thank you."

He nodded.

"Well, my buisness is concluded! Onward to Mail!"

And with that, he ran off.

Link smiled and shook his head.

What a peculiar fellow.

He opened the letter and began reading it as he walked back to his house from the spring,

 _Link,_

 _It has been quite a while since I have written to you. My apologies._

 _But, to the purpose of this letter. I was wondering how you would feel about joining the Hyrulean Army._

 _I know, this is sudden. But as things stand now, Hyrule needs more soldiers, and I could only think of_

 _you when it comes to this topic for several reasons. First, you know Hyrule and its terrain only too well;_

 _second, you have quite a bit of experience in had-to-hand combat (We are in need of more instructors_

 _of this matter)..._

Link flopped down onto his bed and sighed.

Zelda wanted him to join the Hyrulean Army.  
That, at least, was clear.

Although she had never said it directly, it was obvious that he would need to leave Ordon.

Leave.

Again.

He sighed.

He already knew his answer.

Maybe.


	20. Chapter 20: Reunion

Link sighed as he rode through Hyrule Field.

It had been seven months since he had joined the Hyrulean Army.

Seven months that he'd been gone.

He said he would visit.

He hadn't. Not yet.

He thought he'd be able to.

The life of a soldier was tiring.

Ilia would be upset when he did go back.

Epona nickered quietly.

 _'You should pay attention, you know.'_

 _I'm trying._

 _'Yeah, right.'_

Link huffed and turned her around.

Zelda was expecting him.

He didn't want to see her upset.

She could get _mad._

* * *

"Father, I said no! I will absolutely _not_ marry that man!"

"Now, now, Ilia, calm down. He's not _that_ bad."

"Not that bad?! He's a perverted idiot!"

"Ilia, I'm sure it was an accident. Am I right, Reland?"

He nodded dumbly.  
No wonder this man was so desperate to find his daughter a husband.

Sable jumped onto his lap and growled.

"Ilia, is there a man that walks on the face of this earth good enough for you? Because I can guarantee you, Ilia-"

"You haven't looked at every man in the kingdom, Father. I know that for a fact."

"And do you want me to?"

"Until you find a man that actually has some common sense, yes, I want you to look at every man in the kingdom"

Bo sighed and bid Reland farewell.

"Ilia, you're so stubborn."

"And you can't see what's hidden in front of your face."

He looked at his daughter, surprised at her response. She stood up to leave.

"Father, don't even bother trying to find me a suitor anymore. You know I'm moving, and even if you try to find another I'll only turn them down. I think I've broken enough hearts for my liking."

He sighed.

If only Link were here...

* * *

Link walked over to the young recruit and gently tapped his wrist.

"You're using a rapier. Use your wrist, too. Believe me, it's a whole lot easier."

The young man nodded and Link smiled and went back to his place against the wall, watching the soldiers perform their drills over and over again.

He sighed as the sun sank below the horizon. The soldiers were dismissed for the day.

He turned and left as he headed towards the field.

Zelda came up to greet him. There were lots of rumors about the two being in love.

That didn't mean they were true.

They were just close friends. She knew this.

"Hello."

"Hey."

"Is something wrong?"

"Nah, I'm just tired."

She laughed.

"I would think that you would speak more courteously, as you are a knight and I am your princess."

He chuckled. "Some things never change."

"I must agree."

He fell silent. Suspecting that something was on his mind, she became curious. After all, he was a nineteen-year-old single young man.

"Are you thinking about her?"

"Who?"

"You know of whom I speak of."

"...Ilia?"

She nodded. She had received a letter from her a few days ago, saying that she was moving to Castle Town to work with Telma and to get away from all the young men seeking her hand. She chuckled lightly.

Link turned to her. "What?"

"Oh, nothing much. Have you heard of all the young men seeking her hand in marriage?"

"What?!"

She laughed. "She's turned down every one of them. I would think that she is waiting for you, Link."

"W-Why me?" he stuttered, turning bright red.

She only laughed again.

"We've had this conversation before, haven't we?" he said, annoyed.

"Yes, we have."

* * *

"Ilia! Hello, honey!"

Telma rushed up to the young woman and hugged her. Ilia smiled weakly.

"H-Hi, Telma."

"Oh my goodness, honey, look at you!" she said happily as she combed her fingers through Ilia's now long hair that hung in a ponytail behind her head.

"I-I grew my hair out. Do you like it?"

"Ilia, sweetie, its beautiful! Oh, wait until Link sees you! He'll be so happy!"

Ilia smiled weakly and nodded.

"Yeah, Link..."

Telma smiled and took her hand. "Well, let's get you set up, okay, honey? I cleared out a room for you upstairs."

Ilia smiled and nodded as she followed the older woman up the stairs.

Link...

She shook her head.

He's just a friend.

 _'And do you know how long you've been saying that, Ilia?'_

 _I know, Sable, but..._

 _'You love him. Admit it.'_

 _He_ is _my friend. And I know I love him. But he's a soldier now, a colonel and Hero. And I'm just a girl, a barmaid._

 _'His friend.'_

* * *

A few days later, Ilia sat next to the fountain in the town square as the sun set.

She sighed as she ran her fingers through her blonde hair.

Link left the castle courtyard as the soldiers finished their training for the day.

He sat on the steps of the castle, tapping his fingers on his lap, as if playing piano.

He scanned the crowd, not looking for anyone in particular.

His eyes rested on a young woman sitting next to the fountain.

She was familiar...

Ilia sighed again as she folded her hands and put them in her lap.

"Now, what's a pretty young gal like you doin' out 'ere all alone?"

She turned in surprise.

"H-Hello." she replied shakily to the man that had addressed her. He looked at her hungrily.

"Why don't we get you somewhere safer?" he said, grabbing her wrist a little too tightly.

She cried out in pain quietly.

"P-Please, I-I'm fine."

"Naw, come on. You shouldn't be alone," he said, pulling her closer.

Link got up and came up to them. Ilia looked at him in surprise. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He tapped the man on the shoulder, and when he turned, he took hold of his thumb and pulled it backwards. There was a sickening crack and the man cried out in pain as he let go of her wrist. Everyone stopped and turned around the see what was going on.

"Why, you-" the man said, nursing his broken thumb. He froze mid-sentence as he realized who he was speaking to.

Link took a step towards him, and he ran.

He stumbled backwards slightly as Ilia wrapped her arm around his neck.

"Thank you, Link."

It was at that moment when he realized who this woman was.

"Ilia..."

She sighed and let him go. He smiled sheepishly, knowing what would follow.

She slapped him.

"You JERK! Where were you?! It's been SEVEN MONTHS! SEVEN FREAKIN' MONTHS! You said you would visit, but I haven't seen you once!"

"Actually, Zelda's giving me a break in a few months."

She nodded and slapped him again.

Link only smiled again and pecked her cheek. She blushed heavily and turned around.

"D-Don't act like that! You know it bothers me!"

He only laughed.

"So, tell me. What reason do you have to _possibly_ come _here_ of all places?"

She smiled and turned back around, telling him of everything that had happened over the past seven months.

She had to admit, Sable was right.

She was in love.


	21. Chapter 21: First Kiss

Ilia leaned her head against his back.

They were going back to Ordon for a week.

They being she and Link.

She was more than glad that he had offered to take her.

She didn't want to go with the merchant again.

"You okay?" Link asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay. It'll be another hour."

"Okay."

She leaned her head against his back again.

A whole hour.

She sighed and smiled as she dozed off.

* * *

She woke to Link gently lifting her off Epona.

She smiled and stood up shakily.

Colin and his two-year-old sister Andi ran up and grabbed her and Link.

She laughed. "Hello, Andi."

She looked up, her blue eyes shining.

"Hi!"

Ilia smiled. "Hi."

Colin grabbed Link's hand and pulled him towards the village.

"C'mon! I wanna show you something!"

Link laughed and followed Colin down the path

"How old are you now, Colin?"

"Thirteen."

"Wow."

He turned to Ilia.

"He's already thirteen." he whispered. She smiled and nodded.

"Look who's here." she said, motioning towards her father. Next to him stood Rowan and Maeri, with a six-year-old girl standing next to her mother.

When Ava saw her brother, she squealed and ran to him, arms held out as she grabbed him.

"I mithed you!"

"What?"

She looked up at him and beamed, pointing proudly at her teeth."

"What happened, Ava? Your teeth are gone!"

"They came out! I got a necklath!" she said, showing him the piece of jewelry.

"Cool."

Rowan came up to him.

"You're nineteen."

"Yeah, So?"

"Nineteen years..." he breathed.

Link chuckled and turned around. Beth was showing Ilia a piece of embroidery that she had made.

"I heard you're in love with her." Rowan said.

Link turned back to him, his cheeks red.

"W-What? Did Rusl tell you?"

"That, and it's kinda obvious. I think pretty much everyone knows."

Link sighed.

Ilia came up to him.

"I don't care _what_ you say, you're coming over for dinner. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." she said, pecking his cheek.

He smiled and she slapped him playfully.

* * *

That night, after dinner, they went to the willow tree. Ilia sighed and sat on the bank when they got there.

Link sat down next to her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I just.."

He watched her carefully.

"Yeah?"

"Nothin'."

She sighed again and buried her face into his chest.

"I just...I missed you when you were gone."

"Ok."

She shivered, and he pulled her up close.

She smiled and kissed his cheek softly.

"Don't...don't leave me again."

He looked at her, surprised.

"Ilia, you know that I can't-"

She put her arms around his neck and kissed him gently, cutting him off.

He pulled back slightly, surprised, but then relaxed and kissed her back.

She smiled when they parted.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." she whispered.

He smiled and kissed her again.

* * *

"Link." Bo asked him the following day.

"Link, I have a question for you. It is rather...personal for that matter, but I want you speak the truth."

"O-Okay."

Bo sighed.

"Do you want to marry my daughter?"

Link froze.

"W-What?"

"You know that I've been trying to find a good husband for her for nearly a year, now. Am I right?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"She's rejected every single one of them within three days. Link, please. I'm desperate."

"What makes you think she'll marry _me_?"

"She knows you. She trusts you. She loves you, and you're a good man. What more could she want?"

"Someone who has more time. You ever wonder why I haven't visited up until now?"

"You're busy."

"Uh, yeah. I found her at Castle Town a few days after she got there four months ago. And during those four months I was able to visit her three or four times."

"Link, please. She needs to marry."

He sighed. "Fine, but don't complain to me if she rarely sees me."

Bo sighed with relief. "Thank you, Link."

He sighed and smiled.

"Alright."


	22. Chapter 22: Betrothal

Ilia flopped onto her bed and sighed.

It was still early morning. She and Link had arrived the day before.

 _"Do you want to marry my daughter?"_

 _"She knows you. She trusts you. She loves you, and you're a good man. What more could she want?"_

Her father wanted her to marry Link.

Of course she did. But did he?

He had sounded rather reluctant.

Was he nervous?

Probably.

Most likely.

Her father was right. She _did_ trust him, and she _was_ in love with him.

If she had to marry, it would be Link.

She sighed again.

Would he propose?

Hopefully.

* * *

"Link."

He turned. "Yeah, Dad?"

"Bo told me that he asked you to marry his daughter. You accepted, didn't you?"

"Y-Yeah..."

Rowan smiled and pulled out a small box from his pocket. He held it out to him.

"This was your mother's. I want you yo use it for Ilia."

Link nodded and opened the box.

Inside was a small silver ring. It was made in the likeness of an ivy crown, with silver tendrils curling around tiny leaves.

Link smiled and thanked his father. Rowan nodded and pulled his son into a hug.

"You're growing up, son."

Link smiled.

"You're getting older."

Rowan let go and looked at his son. Link smiled again.

A grin broke out on his father's face and he laughed.

"You think I don't know that, do you?"

"I never said that."

* * *

Ilia sat on and upturned pail as she watched him work.

Milk the goats, feed them, herd them out, muck the stalls…

Link was sweating.

After he finished the morning routine, he sat next to her. She kissed him.

"You look tired. And you smell like..."

"Smelly stuff?"

She laughed. "Yeah."

"Well, it _is_ rather warm for this time of year."

"Yeah..." She stood and led him outside. The forest wasn't green; instead, it was colored brilliant shades of red and gold.

They told the youngest children that in autumn, the Faeries would come out to paint the leaves.

Ilia smiled and sighed.

"You're turning twenty tomorrow."

He nodded. "Yeah."

She smiled and they walked down the well-worn path through the village.

Link nervously fingered the ring that his father had given him the day before.

They weren't really paying any attention to where they were going. After about thirty minutes, they found themselves at the old willow tree.

Ilia smiled and sat. She beckoned him to sit next to her.

He obeyed, and she kissed his cheek.

They sat there for several hours, just taking in the silence around them.

Ilia sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder.

Link smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead.

She smiled and sighed again.

"Ilia..." Link asked her nervously.

She looked up at him with those emerald green eyes.

"Yeah?"

He blushed lightly. "Never mind."

She looked at him, a hint of confusion and disappointment in her eyes.

"Link?"

"Yeah?"

She kissed him.

He smiled slightly and kissed her back.

"Ilia..."

"Yeah?"

"Marry me."

She looked up at him and smiled. She nodded and kissed him again. He slipped the ring onto her finger as the parted.

"I love you." she whispered to him, barely loud enough to hear.

He got this feeling as she said those three words. Similar to love, but...different. A desire. He felt as if he was closer to whatever it was. This desire...it felt good. Peaceful, unlike the hungry love that some people shared.

He smiled and lied down on the mossy ground. She laid next to him, and he pulled her close and fell asleep.

* * *

The next day was Link's birthday.

His twentieth birthday, to be exact.

Link didn't want a big party, but Ilia objected

He was turning twenty. A big day for an Ordonian.

He was considered a hero in Hyrule. That counted for something.

And, to top it off, he was her fiancé.

She was _not_ going to let him have his way.

Frankly, he didn't really care.

Uli, Pergie, Sera, Maeri and Ilia spent half the day in the kitchen,talking and laughing as they cooked.

Maeri hadn't heard of Ilia's betrothal to her stepson. Link had asked his fiancée not to announce their betrothal to everyone in the village and instead to just hint at it, for fear of unwanted attention. Mostly from Fado.

And Beth.

Uli, on the other hand, _did_ know of his proposal. She, too, knew better than to tell everyone.

While the women of the village spent most of their day cooking, the men were outside. Most of them were out because their wives had sent them out due to the fact that they found them rather annoying at times like this. So the men spent their day setting up tables and chairs.

The children (most of whom were thirteen or fourteen) sat at said tables and made the decorations. Paper lanterns, leaves strung together to be used as streamers, snowflakes (maybe), and flowers (Beth did those).

Andi and Ava watched.

After the men had finished their job, Link and Rusl grabbed their swords and started fighting. Bo challenged everyone to a sumo wrestling championship (no boots allowed).

Rowan, Hanch and Fado refused to compete. They knew close to nothing about sumo.

It was around this time when some of the women came out for a break, Ilia among them.

Jaggle and Bo were first.

Jaggle did pretty well, which surprised a lot of people. He was thrown out anyways.

Rusl had challenged Link as soon as Bo proposed his idea.

Link had laughed.

Rusl had no idea what he had just asked him to do.

The match lasted five seconds. Link had stepped behind him, hit him and shove him out. Rusl laughed. He couldn't do anything.

Then it was the Mayor against his future son-in-law.

And, well, you probably know how it ended.

Bo sat on the ground, rubbing his lower back.

"I'm to old to fight you, boy!"

Ilia laughed and helped her father up and gave a kiss to the winner.

"I'm surprised."

He smiled.

"Why?"

"You won."

The rest of the day was filled with dancing, eating, and more eating. Ilia begged Link to let her tell everyone the news. He sighed and said yes, in which she jumped up astood on the nearest chair..

"Everyone! I have something to say!"

They all turned to face the excited eighteen-year-old.

"Link and I are getting married!"

Maeri looked as if she was going to faint.

Bo ran up to his daughter and shook the chair she stood on.

"Don't stand on the furniture!" he said happily.

She fell down and Link caught her.

"Normally you would get mad if someone did that to you,"Link said, surprised.

She threw her arms around his neck and screamed "We're getting married!"

She laughed smiled and kissed her startled fiancé.

And Bo grabbed them both and hugged them until they couldn't breath.


	23. Chapter 23: Useless

**Stupid computer. Yes, I know, this is a short chapter.**

* * *

The wedding would be held in Ordon, as it was both Link and Ilia's hometown.

Ilia sighed as she and leaned her head against her fiancé and scooted a little closer.

Link smiled.

Epona huffed.

They were heading back to Castle Town.

The best week in her life (so far) was almost over.

She smiled and pecked his cheek.

She buried her head into his shoulder, and, after a few minutes, fell asleep.

* * *

Ilia sighed and collapsed onto her bed.

She could hear the door open, and the bed shifted as Telma sat down.

"So, honey. How did it go?"

Ilia smiled and sat up.

"Perfect."

"Oh? Link said that there was something that you want to tell me, hmm?"

She smiled and blushed.

"Yeah, um..."

"...Umm what?"

"Link and I are getting married."

Telma froze and stared at the nineteen-year-old girl in front of her.

"Ilia..."

She smiled nervously.

"Ilia, this is wonderful!" Telma said, throwing her arms around her.

Ilia smiled again.

"Yeah. The wedding's in two months. We're gonna have it in Ordon, obviously."

"How does Link feel about this?" Telma asked her.

Ilia chuckled. "Well, to tell the truth, I think he's really nervous."

"Really? That's not very surprising."

She laughed. "Yeah."

* * *

"Hey."

Ilia spun around.

"Hi!"

Link smiled. "You busy?"

Ilia looked around the crowded tavern and sighed. She looked at her fiancé.

"What do you think?"

He laughed and kissed her.

She slapped him.

"Not here, jerk." she hissed. She then turned around and grabbed the tray and walked off. Her hair swayed as she did so.

He smirked.

"When's the wedding, honey?"

Link turned and smiled when he saw Telma.

"It's on the first of New Spring. We're leaving next week."

Telma smiled. "Well, I should be able to make it. Who's performing it?"

"Renado."

"Ooh."

Ilia came back and kissed his cheek.

"You're not upset at me anymore?" Link whispered to her.

"No."

"Why?"

"I should be glad I have you. At least you don't drink."

He laughed.

* * *

Ilia sighed and sat down in front of her desk.

Link had left about an hour ago.

She took out a quill and a bottle of ink, along with some parchment and set the things down in front of her.

Pushing her nurse's textbooks aside, she began to write out the invitations for the wedding.

 _The wedding..._

She smiled.

* * *

Link sighed as he walked down one of the any corridors in the castle.

As he walked, the Great Bell tolled from above the Church of Hyrule.

Ten o'clock.

When he reached the room that Zelda had given him, he sat on the windowsill and watched the rain as it collided with the glass.

He liked the rain. It calmed his nerves.

But this time, not so much.

He could still see the boy who had run so far to deliver the message to the princess.

The boy that was so familiar, and yet..

How the boy had died from the cold not long after he had delivered it.

How Link could do nothing to help.

Useless.

That's how he felt.

Completely, utterly useless.

Why didn't he help that boy?

Why didn't he _move_?

What was it?

Fear?

As he laid on his bed, he thought about the strange message.

 _They're coming for you._

 _All of you._

Who was the 'they'?

Why were they coming?

Why now?


	24. Chapter 24: Forever and Ever

Ilia bit her thumb gently after she had pricked her finger.

She sighed and put her sewing down.

Mending her father's shirt. Again.

Sable jumped onto her lap and licked off the drop of blood on the needle.

 _Where've you been, huh?_

The lairyn simply ignored her.

Ilia sighed and lifted her off her lap and stood up.

Uli and Telma came in, holding a basket filled with white fabric.

They set it down and, smiling, grabbed her arms and pulled her towards the basket.

"You'll love this one, honey." Telma said happily.

Uli simply smiled as they held up the dress.

It was a simple white sleeveless dress that fell to her feet. Ilia examined the fabric, thinking of everything that she could do with it.

Add some straps, a sash, maybe some embroidery around the hem and neckline...

Satisfied, she nodded and smiled at the older women.

"Thank you! It's perfect. Where'd you find it?" She said, standing up.

Telma simply waved her hand. "Don't worry about that, honey."

Uli nodded in agreement. She held out her hands, and Sable jumped into them.

Ilia smiled.

~o:o:o:o:o:o~

Link sighed mentally, listening to the old general ramble on and on about the importance of discipline and responsibility. In truth, he gave this same lecture in the last Council, and besides, everyone knew this principle and didn't have any problems when it came to those specific principles.

Princess Zelda seemed rather annoyed at the old general, and one of the Lieutenants was falling asleep.

 _Geez, hurry up. We're all busy._

He leaned his head back, looking at the intricate designs carved into the ceiling.

Zelda noticed his boredom and politely asked the elderly general to sit down and shut up. He got the message.

She herself stood and concluded the meeting, and the men and women were dismissed for the day.

Gratefully, Link stood and stretched his legs as the princess walked towards him.

"What do you think about the boy's message?"

He shrugged. They hadn't spoken much in the past few weeks."

"It's...strange. He seemed familiar, in a way."

Zelda nodded, and the two of them walked outside.

"I understand that. I had the same feeling. It was very strange."

Link nodded and sighed.

His mind drifted to Ordon.

Ilia…

"When will your wedding take place?"

"First of New Spring, sometime around noon." he said.

"Are you nervous?"

He stopped. Well, duh, of course he was.

"Link?"

He smiled and looked down.

"'Nervous' is an understatement."

She laughed.

"Two more weeks..." he said quietly.

It started to snow as they walked back to the castle.

Ilia's voice echoed in his head.

 _"The lake froze over last night, and it looks thick enough to skate on. C'mon!"_

Five years,he thought.Five whole years.

Which reminded him.

"How old is General Ressna?"

"Seventy-three."

No wonder.

~o:o:o:o:o:o~

Sable leaped out the window when she was sure her master was asleep.

Through the forest, across the stream, up the tree…

There.

A tiny mewling, barely longer than Sable's fluffy tail, crept out of the hollow.

Another lairyn, a male, lifted his head when he saw her.

She gently nudged the rest of the litter and they woke and joined their sibling.

Four mewlings.

Two boys, two girls.

The father nuzzled her neck and dropped a Deku nut in front of her. She ate it hungrily.

~o:o:o:o:o:o~

The clashing sound of steel on steel was heard echoing throughout the castle courtyard.

It was still snowing, despite it being late winter. It was odd.

Normally it doesn't snow this late in the year.

Link shrugged it off. It was probably warmer in Ordon.

It normally was.

General Zestrio, the youngest of the the generals, held his hand up, signaling the soldiers to stop.

Servants gathered the dull practice swords ( they were dull, although if swung hard enough, would leave a nasty bruise), and they ran off, carrying their own armload to the armory. The soldiers were dismissed for the day. Link took this chance to leave for some privacy.

He went south, towards the field.

Climbing to the top of one of the tall stone pillars, he looked down at the field below. A thin layer of snow blanketed the field in white, and Agitha, the Bug Princess, was searching the shrubbery for any bugs for her ball.

The sun started to set, and the horizon turned a deep crimson. On the opposite end of the field, two young boys, clad in green, whacked each other with wooden swords. One of them fell down, and the other burst out laughing, resulting in a snowball in his mouth.

Link chuckled and jumped down from his perch. He walked towards them. They froze and quickly dusted off the snow in their hair. He laughed and tossed a snowball at them.

"What's wrong? "

They smiled, and the older boy threw the snowball at him. Link smiled, and the younger bent down to make another.

The swords lay, forgotten on the snow as the largest snowball fight of the season took place as children slowly joined.

By nightfall, most of the snow was on their clothes and there were about thirty kids, along with ten adults watching, smiling, happy that their hero watched over their children.

~o:o:o:o:o:o~

New spring.

The big day.

Ordon was alive with activity that morning.

Ilia had on an apron and had tied her long hair up with a cloth. Maeri and Rowan had moved down to Ordon, and Maeri and a seven-year-old Ava were helping her cook and clean and sew. Uli and Telma were there, too, along with the rest of the women in the village. The kitchen was bustling with activity, and the delicious smell of food wafted outside.

Princess Zelda was there, along with Shad and Gor Coron, issuing commands to the gorons and hylians to help set up.

Link, Rusl and Mayor Bo, meanwhile, were in Link's home, helping him get ready. Uli had made his clothes; they were fashioned after the hero's tunic, only made of white fabric.

~o:o:o:o:o:o~

Ordonian weddings were private occasions, reserved only for the couple, their parents and the priest.

Link and Ilia knelt at the small alter at the Sprit's Spring. In front of them was Renado, holding a jug.

Bo, Maeri, Rowan and Telma (Ilia needed someone to be present, representing her mother) stood behind them.

Link wore the tunic that Uli had fashioned for him. On his back was a sword and shield that Rusl had made especially for this occasion.

Ilia wore the white dress that Uli and Telma had given her. She had done some embroidery on the skirt and top and was wearing a golden sash around her waist. Flowers were woven through her hair.

All in all, she was beautiful.

"Telma, would you please come forward?" She came and held out her hand. Renado raised it with Ilia's and bound them together with a leather cord.

"Mayor Bo."

He came and Renado bound Ilia's other arm to her father's.

"These bindings symbolize the bride's connection to her parents." Renado said.

"Link. "

He laid the sword on the alter.

Renado called Rowan and Maeri forward and did the same to Link.

"These bindings symbolize the groom's connection to his parents."

He picked up the sword and cut all four of them. He then laid it on the alter again.

Renado bade Link take Ilia's hand after they had knelt down again. She smiled and squeezed it gently. He smiled nervously.

Renado then bound their hands together. Link replaced the sword on his back and they stood. He led them out of the spring and to the ranch. The villagers cheered when they raised their wrists, showing the bindings.

"These bindings are a representation of the oath that they make with one another. They are bound together as one soul, body and mind." Renado said. Ava grabbed Link's hand, and as a result to the bindings, dragged both him and Ilia to a trio of seats, two of which were at the head of the table. They sat down, and Ilia yanked her wrist, which was still bound to Link's, behind her and she kissed him tenderly. A series of oohs and aahs came from the villagers, along with a squeal from Beth.

~o:o:o:o:o:o~

The party lasted well into the night, filled with eating, laughing, singing, dancing and more eating. Sometime around midnight, though, Link and Ilia wandered off to the old willow tree. They sat by the small stream, watching the faeries dancing on the water.

Ilia leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Link..."

"Yeah?"

"Will we..." She blushed and looked away.

"Never mind. It's a stupid question anyways..." she said.

Link turned her facetowards him.

"Ilia, what's wrong? "

"Will we always be together? "

He looked at her, slightly surprised. Then he smiled and laid down on the mossy ground.

"Yeah..."

"Forever and ever?"

"Yeah. "

He smiled and pulled her down into a passionate kiss. She smiled and climbed on top of him.

After all, it was their wedding night.


End file.
